Caught In the Act
by Carrie153
Summary: 16 year old Megumi Haruno lost her confidence in swimming in front of others after her accident. Now, she spends her nights swimming at the indoor pool where she works at. One night, when she went for a swim, the swimmers from Iwatobi spotted her. Knowing her secret love for swimming never left her since the accident, they begin to persuade her to join. "Eh? I've been spotted!" R
1. Caught in the Act

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club. _I do own my OC, "Megumi Haruno, Aki Haruno, Daichi-sensei, and Hiroshi-sensei."**

* * *

I never thought that someone would catch me in the act of swimming. It never even crossed my mind that I would be spotted until I looked up to see four shadows peering at me through the window.

* * *

"Mei-chan, hurry up or else we'll be late!"

I quickly ran down the stairs and into the kitchen where my older brother waited for me. He held a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in another – he was making me breakfast as usual.

"Geez, Mei, we'll be late for work," Aki sighed. I grinned, waving his comment off.

"Onii-san, don't worry about it. You can leave first, and I will head off to the pool. I can go alone." Aki glanced at me before agreeing. He quickly served me breakfast and stuffed his shoes onto his feet before hurrying off to work. Onii-san was an athletics trainer; he trained mostly basketball players, which helped many of them make it into the pro league. Occasionally, he would help train me in swimming.

I took my time getting ready to help out at the large indoor pool that onii-san had access to. I helped train the middle school and high school kids.

I slipped on my one-piece bathing suit and studied myself in the mirror. _I have to get a new suit soon_, I sighed. My bust was growing a bit – it wasn't huge, nor was it small. It was average sized. I was also growing to be a bit taller, now standing at 5'4". I grabbed my shirt and shorts, and headed out.

* * *

"Megumi Haruno! You're finally here!" A voice bellowed at me the second I walked through the door to the indoor pool. Coach Daichi was the owner of the indoor pool and he allowed me to help train the students, which usually meant me doing the work and him hiding in his office reading magazines or taking naps. "Start group one with the relays, and group two with forms."

"Hai, hai!" I replied. He sighed at me, "Only say 'hai' once! Not 'hai, hai.'" I laughed. It was my signature to always say it twice. Daichi-sensei walked away leaving me with his students.

"Ohayō!" I exclaimed, excited to get started. Everyone turned around and their expression brightened up.

"Megumi-chan! Megumi-sempai!" A chorus of boys cried out. Yep, boys: middle school boys and high school boys, all half-naked. Their school's swim club allowed them to skip a day of school to train here. I, on the other hand, was home-schooled.

"Hai, hai! Let's practice, everyone! Group one, you'll be doing relays, so figure out what you want to swim in. Group two, you'll begin with forms; meaning, within your schools, find out your strengths and weaknesses. High school on the left, middle school on the right." I listed off. A high-schooler came over to me and I turned around to see who it was.

"Oh, Mako-chan, ohayō!" I beamed a smile at him only to be replied by his normally calm expressions to be a bit flustered and red. He looked so cute that I had to giggle.

"M-megumi-chan. W-when will you come to school?" That question caught me off guard. _School? I never really thought much about it after that._

I avoided the question, pushing Makoto towards the left side of the pool. "Mako-chan, go practice!" He managed to crane his neck around to look at me with lonely eyes as I fell for his trick again. We stopped at the edge of the pool with my hands still on his broad, muscular back.

"Not fair, Makoto! I want Megumi-chan to touch me too!" The high-school boys were whistling and cheering. I felt my face flushing so I planted a foot on his back and shoved with all my might.

"Start practicing!" I shouted. I felt a pair of eyes staring at me so I turned around to meet my observer. It was Haruka Nanase. Whenever I saw him, I felt annoyed – he was always giving off this lazy vibe, and kept saying something like, "I only swim freestyles." Honestly, how annoying.

The high-schoolers got into their appropriate school groups, with Iwatobi High being the smallest group consisting of four swimmers. Samezuka Academy, an all-boys high school, had the most, consisting of thirty swimmers. Their captain seemed to have taken a liking to me.

"Mei-chan! Come over here!" Seijuro Mikoshiba waved his hand excitedly. I whirled around to be splashed by water.

"Seiiiiiijurrrrrooo!" I hollered, angry. I found a beach ball lying close by and I grabbed it. I tossed it gently in the air only to spike the beach ball in his face.

"Ahahaha!" Everyone laughed.

"Start practicing unless you want me to hit each and every single one of you!" Still laughing, both groups got into formation and swam laps.

* * *

"Onii-san, I'm going out!" I gently closed the door behind me, not waiting for Aki's reply. He already knew where I was going so he wasn't worried. I had my bathing on underneath my shorts and a short-arm jacket and was carrying a small duffel bag with my swim cap, goggles, and a towel. My only destination for these late nights was the indoor pool. I opened the glass door and let it click shut behind me. It was eerily quiet and dark, only with the light shine of the moon through the windows. I loved the way the light reflected off the calm water in the pool, as the light illuminated the soft ripples. I quickly tugged my shorts and jacket off, leaving me in my jet black bathing suit with purple stripes running down the sides. My shoulder-length hair seemed to blend into my bathing suit, creating an effect to where no one knew where my hair began or where it ended.

I stepped up onto the diving platform and stretched myself out. Then I got into starting position, crouching down.

"Ready, set, go," I whispered before diving into the pool. It was a perfect arc. The moment I hit the water, I propelled myself forward before doing the breaststroke. After completing a couple of laps, I floated in the cool water on my back. _So refreshing_, I thought happily. _Hehe, I sound like an old man. _Then, I remembered the five meter diving board on the far left side of the pool where it was deep. I climbed out of the water and headed towards it. As I reached the top of the platform, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I dove into the air, bringing my legs up in front of my face with my arms behind them. I twisted my body in the air, performing the rotating tricks. Just seconds away from the water, I released my grip on my legs and dove straight into the water. I stayed under for a minute longer before resurfacing.

"Wah! That was great!" I exclaimed excitedly. I hauled myself up out of the water again for another jump from the diving board. I grinned stupidly, ready for another performance even though I knew no one was watching.

"Megumi Haruno, age sixteen! Representing Japan with her awesome performance!" Standing on the edge of the board, I stood backwards with my back towards the water. Then I leapt in the air. Time slowed down for me as I did my back two-and-a-half somersault with a one-and-a-half twist before propelling backwards in the water from my diving. I burst up from the water, stunned at how graceful I had pulled that off. I smiled, pumping my fists into the air.

"Yeahhh! Haha! Whoo-hoo!" I floated on my back again, doing a backstroke. _If only that accident had never happened. I wouldn't be swimming alone in the dark. _I stopped, standing up. Out of the corners of my eyes, I notice a shuffling in the bushes right outside the windows. A loud thud hit the window, causing me to jump back a little.

"Who's there?" I demanded, letting my voice ring out in the empty building. I knew whoever was outside could hear me. Soft mutters and scuffles continued until four heads popped up from the bushes. Realization dawned on me as the soft glow of the moonlight illuminated their features: Haruka Nanase, Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Rei Ryugazaki.

I shrieked, "Ehhhh?"


	2. Secrets are Meant to be Kept Silent

"Megumi-chan?!" Makoto and Nagisa shouted in surprise. They pressed their faces against the windows, smudging marks on them. _I would have to clean those marks tomorrow morning... Again._

"Megumi-chan swims?" Rei's face joined Makoto's and Nagisa's.

"Is it Megumi?" Haruka's fourth face completed the empty space left. I quickly duck back under the water and frog-kicked to the right side of the pool where their visions were cut off.

"To the right! Go to the right!" They all shouted. I quickly pulled myself up, not bothering to dry myself off. I slipped on my jacket, stuffed my shorts, goggles, and swim cap into my duffel and hauled ass outta there.

_Good thing the door was left locked. _I escaped into the boys' dressing room since it had an emergency exit, and it threw the guys chasing me off.

"Ehh? She went into the boys' dressing room?"

"It's not a girl then!"

"Don't you see her breasts? Obviously a girl!"

"Just follow her!"

I followed the rows of locker out. _There's the exit! _I shoved the door open and stumbled out less gracefully than I had planned. As the door swung shut behind me, I heard traces of their voices echoing in the empty locker room, "Where did she go?"

* * *

"Mei! Get a move on!" Aki hollered for the third time this morning. I grudgingly got up and changed into a light blue one-piece with neon-green zigzag patterns on the sides. I pulled on a light purple long-sleeved jacket and white shorts.

"I'm coming, Aki!" I trudged down the stairs and grabbed two pieces of toast and a water bottle before heading out to the pool. It wasn't that far of a walk - probably around ten minutes. By the time I got there, I noticed that only the high school guys were there waiting for me. The Iwatobi boys weren't there. I sighed in relief and chased my worries away.

"Fifty squats in the water and then handstand all the way to the other side and back! It's timed. Winners get a prize!" That perked everyone up in a heartbeat. They got into rows of ten, and began doing squats in unison. Eight minutes later, the first ten people broke away and competed in their handstand walks. I noticed that Seijuro quickly broke away from the others to join the first ten. He quickly stood on his hands and speed walked (or speed handed?). Soon enough, Seijuro slowly overtook them one by one. More and more swimmers were quickly joining in in the handstand race. A couple of other swimmers closed in on Seijuro, but he powered ahead. His head broke through the surface as he gasped for air. I was standing near the edge of the pool as he placed his arms on the tiles and propped his head up. He grinned mischievously.

"So, what is my prize, Mei-chan?" One by one, the others finished their round and lined up at the edge too, in position like Seijuro.

"Ne, ne. Megumi-chan, what about us?" Their voices chorused into a jumble.

"Seijuro-kun, what do you want as a prize?" I smiled. I had a feeling that I knew what he was going to ask for.

"I want a kiss!" He declared boldly. Everyone's jaws dropped down in shock. Some of them were even blushing. I got down to my knees and gently held his face in between my hands. Seijuro automatically closed his eyes. Inwardly, I laughed. Little did he know that I was only going to give him a light peck on his cheek. I released him and he opened his eyes in surprise. I heard everyone else sigh in relief. I grinned mischievously and stood up.

"Okay, break time!"

Seijuro pulled himself up in front of me, pouting. "Ne, Mei-chan, you're so mean. I wanted a real kiss."

"How was that not a real kiss, Sei-kun?" I innocently asked. He continued to pout until I reluctantly said, "If you become an Olympic swimmer, I'll give you a real kiss, ne?" He beamed and then ran off to his group. Practice resumed for another three hours before I called it to an end.

I quickly went home, happy that the Iwatobi team didn't show up today. I decided not to go swimming tonight or tomorrow night. Instead, I would work on my jogging.

"Onii-san! I'm going out!" I poked my head into the kitchen to find nobody there. "Onii-san! I'm going!" I walked through the living room wearing my running shorts and a windbreaker over my tank top.

"Swimming?" Aki looked up and saw my outfit. His eyes narrowed as he watched me. "Running? You're not supposed to run. I can't believe the doctor said that you could swim, but he said not to run." I waved his comment off.

"Hai, hai. I'll be fine, onii-san. I'm just going to go for a jog, not a run." I tugged my running shoes on at the front door and headed out.

* * *

Jogging to my own pace was the only thing that I could handle after the accident. I had arrived at the small park five blocks away from my house. Spotting a swing, I staggered towards it and sat down. I was panting hard. _So…tired…_ I caught my breath after a few minutes.

"If I hadn't gone to the gym, none of this would've happened…" I trailed off, tears beginning to form in the corners of my eyes. I swiped them away.

**[FLASHBACK]**

A year ago, my team in northern Japan was practicing for a national meet in the gym. We were running the treadmill, riding the bicycle, doing yoga, or lifting weights. The boys from the neighboring school decided to join us in exercising. One of my friends and I were standing near the boy lifting weights as we were chatting. She playfully pushed me, causing me to stumble backwards. At the same time, the guy stood, lifting the weights up and turned around with it. The impact of the heavy weights crushed against my chest. I remember everyone freezing and turning around to see me crumple to the ground. I woke up in the hospital, a week later to a new heart transplant and broken ribs. It took two weeks for me to completely recover since the surgeon mended my ribs. It healed nice and fast. A month later, I was discharged. With only a month left for the national meet, I picked back up with my training. Only issue was, my time slowed down by two minutes. My fastest time for breaststroke was a minute and forty-three seconds in a 200m race. My time for a 100m was almost half that time. I kept telling myself that I was fine and would get back into shape. I almost believed in it.

The day of the national meet, I was going in individual competitions of 50m and 100m breaststroke since my coach didn't want me to kill myself. I already finished first in the 50m race, and it was now time for my last competition. We had already won first in our relay as a team of four. My heart was already pounding from the energy that I used up. I tried to calm down and slow my irregularly fast heartbeat. I had climbed up on the small diving platform, getting ready. My teammates and coach noticed that I had clutched the bathing suit where my heart was. They called out to the judges and asked them to let me forfeit. I forced a smile upon my face and waved to them, signalling that I was fine when I really was not.

"Get, ready. Get, set. BANG." The gun sounded and I dove into the water with a majestic arc. I stayed steady with my pace and I managed to flip off the wall in third. I picked my pace up, passing second. My heart continued to pound until I felt I was literally dying. I immediately stopped swimming, planted my feet on the ground, and clutched my bathing suit over my heart. I was gasping for air as I coughed blood out. The race continued until all the other members finished. By that time, I was already struggling to walk to the end with my hand over my heart and the other over my mouth. My coach and teammates had jumped in and carried me out, hollering for the medics. The judges stood and watched along with everyone.

"Hang in there, Miss Haruno. You'll be just fine. Stay with me, you'll make it." A medic was holding onto my hand as I drifted in and out of conscious.

"Sumimasen, min'na," I whispered. Voices echoed through my head, "It is okay. It's not your fault."

Once again, I found myself in the hospital after three days of being in a coma. I woke up to find everyone on my swim team beside me with worried expressions.

"Are you okay?" They all shouted. I smiled wearily and nodded my head. They all told me happily that we came in first overall. We had gotten first on nearly everything, except for my 100m breaststroke and three other races. _At least we came first in Japan,_ I thought. My doctor then came in, chasing everyone out.

"You can go back swimming after six months. You just can't compete or participate in any activities that rapidly increase your heartbeat. That's too dangerous." I agreed to his conditions and retired from my swimming team.

* * *

I got up from the swing and stretched.

"Time to head home, ne?" I began my jog back home.


	3. Revealed

The next day quickly passed by as I persuaded myself to go jogging again instead of swimming. I had to throw the Iwatobi boys off the track. I tied my running shoes on before letting Aki know where I was going. I jogged to the park again, this time swinging on the swing. It was a good thing that I was underweight for a sixteen year old. I could swing around without having to worry about it breaking. I continued to swing in peace until I realized there were four people standing in front of me. I stop the swing and narrowed my eyes at them suspiciously due to the streetlight casting a shadow over their faces.

"What?" I snapped irritably. The tallest one of the four stepped forward until I saw his light brown floppy hair and pretty green eyes, Makoto-kun.

"Megumi-chan?" He asked. I stiffened. Rolling my eyes to show my annoyance, I sighed, "What do you want? Who are you anyways?" The four of them stepped closer into the light and I almost cried my eyes out anime-style. _Wahhh, it's the Iwatobi boys. Wahhh!_ I inwardly cried. I stood up and zipped my windbreaker up.

"N-nice to see you guys, but I uh, have to go home now. It's uh, pretty late, ne? Bye!" Just as I turned to go, someone grabbed my arm, yanking me backwards not so gently.

"Eeeek!" I landed against someone's warm chest and I looked up to see it was Haruka-kun's. "L-let go!" I tried to pull my arm away but then his other arm went around my waist. I immediately stopped struggling, "Can you please let go? This is really uncomfortable."

"Haru-chan! Mei-chan said it's uncomfortable! Let her goooo," the shortest member said, tugging on Haruka-kun's shirt. He let go of me and I backed up. Now, I was really fidgety. I felt my heart begin to pick up on its pace and I tried to calm down.

"Ne, can you guys back up a little please?" I felt myself becoming dizzy. Four pairs of eyes stared at me, trying to access whether I was tricking them or not. Makoto-kun's eyes went wide, noticing my face paling.

"Guys, back up. Megumi-chan doesn't look too well. Are you claustrophobic?" He gently asked me. I couldn't answer – I was too busy trying to concentrate on slowing my heart down.

"Che, she's obviously faking. I mean, who could spend every day training the swimmers in an indoor pool if she is claustrophobic? My calculations tell me –" the second tallest boy with the blue hair, Rei-kun, began.

"Ne, she really doesn't look too well. Should we take her to the hospital?" Nagisa-kun, the short boy with blond hair, worriedly asked. _Not the hospital! Not the hospital again!_ I shook my head no rapidly.

"G-give me a s-s-second," I gasped out. I dug my fingers into the palm of my free hand, the one not clutching my chest. I felt the skin break as blood slowly oozed out. The pain distracted me enough for my breathing to slow down on its own. "I'm okay now." I weakly smiled at them. Makoto-kun gently helped me back to the swing.

I looked at the four of them before shakily asking, "W-what do you want?"

* * *

"Ne, ne, Mei-chan, why are you still holding onto your chest? Does it hurt?" Nagisa-kun's violet eyes were really sharp. I quickly grasped onto the chains supporting the swing.

"No way!" Realization dawned on Rei-kun as his eyes lit up in admiration. "You're Megumi Haruno?!"

"She's been helping out at the pool with Coach Daichi for a year. She really helped everyone." The others said, confused.

"No, no! I mean, she's _the_ Megumi Haruno! The elite swimmer!" Rei-kun excitedly announced. I narrowed my eyes and demanded, "Where did you hear that?"

"Huh? I was in northern Japan for three years before I came here. I watched your matches on the television!"

"Eh? Mei-chan's an elite swimmer?" The other three cried in shock. Haru-kun's aloof expression snapped to attention; Nagisa-kun's round, sparkly eyes became excited; Mako-kun's worried expression turned to interest and wonder.

"She began swimming at the age of three, and became a prodigy by age six, even competing with the middle school division. By age ten, she competed against high-school students and won every single match in all the strokes. And by age fifteen, Megumi-sama took on the elites, like Olympic swimmers and –"

"Jigoku o shattodaun suru! _Shut the hell up!_" I shouted, trembling. "No more. Please, no more, Rei-kun." Tears dripped down my face. I lifted my face up so they could see the pain in my eyes. "No more."

Makoto and Nagisa knelt down on the ground, trying to comfort me: Nagisa placed his head on my lap and Makoto wiped my tears away with his long-sleeved. Haru stood there, staring at me. Rei on the other hand, panicked.

"Megumi-sama, I'm sorry! Hontōni gomen'nasai!"

"Ne, Mei-chan, what happened?" Nagisa worriedly looked up at me as I let me hands run through his soft hair. Makoto shot him a glare.

"An accident," I whispered softly. "It shouldn't have happened." I told them my story.


	4. First Step to Recovery

I was already back at Daichi-sensei's pool, focusing my attention on the middle-schoolers. They were practically begging for my attention with their eyes. I smiled to myself; _this is why little kids are so adorable. _I gave them all a ten minute break before switching gears.

"Group one, I want you all do work on the melody. Groups of four, in this order: breaststroke, butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle. Forms more groups if you have too many swimmers." The older guys began to shuffle about, and somehow, the Iwatobi boys ended up next to me.

"Mei-chan, are you okay today?" Nagisa looked at me with his lovely violet eyes. I was the same height as him. I beamed a bright smile at him as the middle-schoolers whined in the background.

"Onee-sama! Mei-sama! Mei-sempai!" They began to whine.

"Please don't push yourself, Mei-chan," Makoto gently said. I sighed irritably, "Just pretend I never told you guys about my condition. I'm actually perfectly fine. I can still do everything, including swimming."

"So it was you at the pool three nights ago," Haru inputted. Startled, I had forgotten about that.

"Erm, uh, yeah." Rei sighed happily.

"Now that I know Megumi-sama is doing well, I can live my life happily. Megumi-sama is the only one who I can say that I can look up to. Her form is even more beautiful that Nanase-kun's."

Nagisa's eyes lit up like a firework display. "Ne, ne, really, Mei-chan? Can I see? Haru-chan and Mako-chan's heads were so big that I couldn't see! They both hogged the windows, so Rei-chan and I didn't see your dive!" His voice carried through the pool, catching everyone's attention. Soon enough they were all shouting, "I want to see Mei-chan dive!"

Nagisa realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth. "Mei-chan, sumimasen!" I sighed once again – it seemed like I was often doing that now…

"Will you all get back to practice if I dive? I have to train you guys to become professionals, you know."

"Hai! Hai, hai!" They all shouted gleefully. I could see the older guys beginning to drool as perverted thoughts crossed their minds.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Mei-chan!" the Iwatobi boys cheered on. _Yeah, yeah._

* * *

I climbed up the 10m tall diving board, standing on the edge. My heart began to pound uncontrollably and my hand automatically reached towards my chest to clutch it. I could see Makoto and Rei whispering to Haru and Nagisa about something while pointing up at me. _I'm alone. I'm practicing alone in the pool at night. The moon is out, shining brightly. It's a full moon. Yeah, and those whispers are the leaves in the wind._ I took a deep breath to steady my heart and allowed gravity to pull me down as I performed a 'back three-and-a-half inward tuck,' one different from when Haru and the other three saw me.

I resurfaced up within seconds, to be greeted by loud cheers. _I did it!_ I excitedly smiled, feeling alive to perform in front of everyone. _It's been almost a year and a half since I've swam in front of others._

* * *

Practice soon ended as the boys all filed out, bidding me goodbye. I smiled, waving.

"See you Monday, Mei-chan!"

"Jā!"

"Mei-chan! That was awesome!" I felt a body glomp onto my back and I saw it was Nagisa. _Honestly, he never ceases to amaze me with his childish behavior_. His muscular abs were pressed against my half-exposed back, and his amazing triceps were wrapped around my waist. I felt myself blush. But before my face could turn beet red, I pried myself from his grasp and whacked him for a good measure on the back of his head.

"Don't surprise people like that! It's bad for the heart!"

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make your condition worse, Mei-chan!" Nagisa's sad eyes struck a chord in my heart, causing me to feel a twinge of guilt.

"Just uh, don't do it too often, ne?" I gently patted his head and he smiled again. _So simple-minded_… I felt a pair of eyes studying me. I looked up to find Haru staring at me as his eyes roamed over my body shamelessly.

"Pervert," I muttered. Their heads all snapped up as I directed my comment towards Haru.

"No," he replied. "How do you swim with them?"

"Huh?" I followed his gaze down to my breasts. Heat rushed to my cheeks. "I bind them when I swim, but not when I'm just training you guys. I don't swim in front of others." _Gee, they're only a small B-cup._ Haru continued to stare. The other three noticed my discomfort, resulting in them trying the change the subject.

"Do you swim every night, Mei-chan?" Makoto turned his warm green gaze upon me. I nodded my head.

"Do you mind if we came to join you, Megumi-sama?" Rei's purple eyes looked at me, begging for me to say yes.

"Yes, I do mind." That shattered their hearts. Dejected expressions were openly displayed on their faces. _Why do I feel so guilty?_ A tugging sensation occurred in my chest again as I clutched my bathing suit. Haru's blue eyes noticed my movement, making me release my grip. I smiled nervously at him before abruptly turning away.

"I might accidently leave the door unlocked at ten. Maybe, maybe not." I lifted my arm up, not bothering to turn around.

It was already 8:30pm when I was ready to leave.

"Onii-san! I'm leaving now!" I shouted. Aki grunted back in response as I left the house. Humming a tune softly to myself, I made way towards the empty indoor pool. I tugged my boy-shorts down and my jacket off. Stretching, I wanted to make sure that I swam a bit before they arrived. I stepped up to the diving platform, readying myself for a one-man melody.

"Freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and then finish with the butterfly," I chanted. "I can do it!" If my year-long training paid off, then I would be able to make a full recovery for the Olympics in two years. I was almost at my best times once again.

_Go!_ I dove into the water, feeling home at last. I propelled myself forward with my feet working like a tail. I broke the surface, not stopping. I swam 200m of each. Within ten minutes, I was finished with my routine, feeling breathless as my heart pounded away. _I wouldn't be surprised if I had another attack right now_. I hauled myself out of the pool to look for a lounge raft. I found one in the storage closest, dragging it back to the pool. I laid on top of it and closed my eyes for a quick nap. I still had an hour and ten minutes left.

"–an. –chan. Mei-chan." I swatted whoever was calling out to me away. _I don't want to wake up yet, Aki._ Hands were shaking my shoulder. Something wet dripped over my face and I cracked my eye open to a slit. A face zoned in and out as my heart continued to beat irregularly.

"I need my medicine, onii-san," I mumbled, holding a hand out. Nothing appeared in my hand so I opened both eyes slowly. Green, gold, blue, and purple eyes peered at me, directly in my face.

"Ahh!" I screamed, falling into the water. I came up sputtering. "W-wh-when did you guys get here?"

"Two minutes ago, Mei-chan!" Nagisa giggled. "You looked so cute while you were sleeping, ne, Mako-chan? Ne, ne, Mei-chan! Mako-chan and Haru-chan couldn't stop staring at you!" I raised an eyebrow at the older two boys. It was cute how they both blushed at the same time, looking away.

"Do you need your medicine, Megumi-sama?" Rei asked, concerned.

"Ah, no, I don't. Thanks for asking. And please, just call me Mei-chan. No more with the –sama stuff. I only have four more years until I'm normal." That caught both Haru and Mako's attentions.

"What?" Haru questioned. I looked at him.

"My grandfather was an Olympic five-time gold medallist when he was eighteen. He used to tell me, 'When you're ten, they call you a prodigy; when you're fifteen, they call you a genius; and when you're twenty, you're normal.' I guess when you're five, they just call you a brat or a trainee." I chuckled.

"My late grandmother used to tell me that!" Haru exclaimed (or as close as to exclaiming as he could sound).

"Mei-chan!" Nagisa sweetly sang out, "Will you swim with us? Oh oh! What's your form?"

"Baka! She's an elite swimmer who has won against everyone in all four forms!" Rei hissed.

"Oh yeah! Ne, Mei-chan, let's race!" Nagisa continued to nag. I sighed, reluctant to race.

"Hai, hai. Give me three minutes." I swam over to the side and pulled myself up. I padded towards my duffle bag and grabbed a watch, a stethoscope, a notebook, and a pencil before heading back.

"Mako-chan, can you help me take my pulse?" He nodded his head as I handed him my watch. He leaned on the tiles and looked up at me, waiting for instructions.

"I need your hand for this." I grabbed one of his big, warm hands and placed his two fingers on my neck, right where my pulse was beating. Count how many times it pulsed in a minute. I'm going to check my wrist." I put the stethoscope on and we began to measure my pulse.

"100 times a minute," Mako announced. I wrote today's entry in my notebook:

**November 16, 2013**

**Neck: 100/minute**

**Wrist: 76/minute**

**Heart:**

"Can you measure my heart rate, Mako-chan? I can't stand the way it sounds, so my onii-san usually does that." I handed him the stethoscope as he looked at me nervously.

"A-are you sure?" I waved his question off and nudged the instrument towards him. He took it and counted my heartbeats. "108," he whispered. I scribbled it in:

**November 16, 2013**

**Neck: 100/minute**

**Wrist: 76/minute**

**Heart: 108/minute**

"That isn't normal, Mei-chan." Rei butted in. I sent him withering with a glare.

"I'm fine. If they're all above 110, then it's an emergency. But since the pulse in my wrist is below 80, I'm fine."

"Let's race!" Nagisa paid no heed. He continued to chatter nonsense, causing me to crack a small smile.

"I'll race with freestyle, ne? You can swim your favorite form, how about that?" Haru also stepped up to the diving platform. Rei scrambled up also. Mako sighed, staying to the side.

"I'll judge. Ready positions." The four of us leaned forward with our goggles on. "Set. Go!" I had to admit, Haru's diving form was also beautiful.

I swam forward, keeping a steady pace. I stayed in line with Haru entire time, until we were on our last 100m of 200m. Coming close to the third lap, I broke ahead, completing my flip faster than Haru. I propelled forward, not stopping. The finish line was so close. I stretched my hand out and grabbed onto the wall, arching my back inwards, while flipping my hair like a mermaid. Mako and Haru stared at me in awe as we waited for Rei to finish his butterfly and Nagisa's breaststroke.

"Did you see Mei-chan's freestyle?" Mako exclaimed. "She beat Haru by a good 2.1 seconds!" I turned around to face Haru.

"I really hope that you didn't go easy on me, Haru-chan." Somehow I felt frustrated. He shook his head, "I really gave it my all. You're really good."

Little did I know that the four of them were plotting something.


	5. The Plot

Somehow, I found the group of four stalkers waiting outside of the pool building for me on a Sunday morning.

"Ohayō, Mei-chan!" Nagisa, Rei and Makoto waved around wildly. Haru just lifted his gaze until it met mine.

"Ne, ne. What are you doing here early today?" Nagi asked all sparkly-eyed. I sighed, holding my fingers up to my temple and massaging it.

"I could ask you all the same. I'm cleaning the pool today."

"We'll help you!" Rei jumped in excitedly. I made a shooing motion with a hand as I unlocked the pool door, signalling that they could do whatever.

I walked over to the storage room and the boys followed me. I handed each of them a sweeper and a diluted sample of bleach and soap. They headed to the pool as I went in the opposite direction to the technician room to drain most of the pool water out.

Leaving enough water to cover the bottom of the pool, the five of us began to scrub. Most of the time, none of us carried a conversation and I was fine with it. Mako kept shooting worried glances towards me, but being used to other people's treatments, I ignored it.

We took a short break in between here's getting right back to work. A good five hours later, it was already early afternoon. We spent another two hours scrubbing the floor of the building and then rinsing it.

"Ugh, I'm so tired!" I moaned dragging a raft out for me to lounge on.

"How long does it normally take if you were doing this alone?" Mako asked.

"Definitely not seven hours. It'd be a good fourteen hours, from 8am to 10pm." I smiled tiredly. "You guys can swim if you would like to. I'm going to take a quick nap." I pushed the raft into the water and jumped on top of it, making it sink a bit before floating again. A content smile of bliss appeared on my face as I fell asleep.

* * *

(3rd Person POV):

"I think we should get Mei-chan to join, ne?" Nagi pried. "Ne, ne?"

"We can't force her to join, Nagi-chan." Mako replied. Haru looked up at the ceiling, "I only swim free. Even if Mei joins, we don't have a girls' team. She'll have to swim with us, but we'll have to change the rules."

Rei, Nagi, and Makoto stared at Haru, surprised at his input. Then they all continued to plot how to get Mei to join their swim team.

* * *

I awoke to something smelling awfully fishy. At first I thought I was in my room, but then the gentle rocking told me that I was still in the indoor pool.

"Shit, is something on fire?" I looked around for the source of smell, only to find the four boys still here. They were sitting on the bench eating something. Rei glanced up and saw me sitting up on the raft.

"Mei-chan, Nanase-kun made some grilled mackerel!" He shouted. _Eww, that was the smell…_ I hopped out of the raft and waded my way back up the ladders. Still a bit groggy, I rubbed my eyes and made my way towards them, sitting down in between Makoto and Nagisa. They beamed a smile at me and that's when I felt it: something fishy was definitely going on. Mako handed me a small bowl of rice with chopped mackerel on top with a chopstick. Nagisa was the first one to speak, "Ne, Mei-chan, would you –"

"Join our swim team," Haru finished. I had just put a piece of fish in my mouth when I heard Haru's suggestion – no, more like command. I choked on the fish as Mako quickly patted me on the back. To make matters worse, there wasn't any water for me to drink, and they were all staring at me.

After I finally regained my composure, I gave them each a long, hard stare.

"You know about my condition. You know how I don't swim in front of others anymore. Today was just a friendly race, just for fun. It's not the real thing, where millions of people around the world know who you are and are watching you. None of you know the pressure. Friday's dive during practice was also for fun – not like there were people judging me," I forged ahead. "The adrenaline that rushes through your veins? It feels incredible, like you're on top of the world. But what happens once you can't feel it again? You come crashing down. I can't push myself too hard, since I might drop dead during a competition. I can never feel that adrenaline rushing through me ever again. Even after 200m of all four strokes in one run, I can't get my time back."

"That's right!" Rei exclaimed. That totally didn't help the situation. He continued, "Mei-chan's fastest record ever for the 200m of all four strokes in one run was 7:25:09! She was an entire minute faster than the world record. Mei-chan broke it when she was twelve against high-school students and adults." I swear I could see an evil glint in Nagisa's eyes. He chuckled, catching our attentions.

"Mei-chan would be a wonderful addition to our swim team. We could definitely take down all the other teams! Then, we'd move on to the Olympics!" He shouted jumping up.

This time, I really was irritably annoyed. "How can I join a team when I don't go to school? Baaaaka."

"Ehh?"

"I've only been to school for a year and a half, from sixth to seventh grade." _So much for the 'I followed you on television,' right, Rei?_ I snickered.

"Transfer to Iwatobi High!" Nagi replied happily. I swear, Nagi never got tired of butting in and throwing in a stupid solution.

And guess who was just as stupid as Nagi to go along with his plan?

Me and the other three guys.


	6. First Day Back

"Onii-san, you fill the paperwork and everything, right?" I asked nervously. I had just received the school uniform yesterday when Aki came back with it. I was going to go tomorrow, on Wednesday. It was already September 28, making me almost five entire months late to school. Well, it wasn't like I cared or anything, since I did learn all the lessons at home with Aki-nii, so I wasn't really behind. If more than anything, I could be in the same grade as Haru and Mako as a second-year. But then I'd definitely be the youngest for sure. So I had left the choice up to onii-san.

"What year am I going into, ne?" I asked. He looked up from his newspaper at me and smiled.

"I thought you said either grade was fine," Aki chuckled.

"I'm just really curious," muttering I was about to walk out of the kitchen when he held up a sheet of paper, waving it in the air. I lunged for it and scurried out of the kitchen. I glanced at the paper and felt a smile tugging my face.

**Transfer Student –**

**Haruno Megumi**

**Age: 16**

**School: Iwatobi High**

**Class: 2 – 1**

"Yes! I'm a second year!" Then a thought crossed my mind. "Hmm, I don't even know what class Haru and Mako are in."

* * *

"Ano…" I poked my head through the teachers' lounge with Aki-nii right behind me. We probably looked weird since only our heads were exposed: his head above mine, which were both poking through the small space that I had created with the sliding door.

All their heads swivelled towards us with shocked expressions.

"I'm looking for…" I poked Aki's arm behind the door and he took the hint.

"Amakata-sensei." Aki finished for me. The teachers all looked around searching for the teacher.

"She probably already went to her classroom. Are uh… both of you a new student?" A male teacher stood up. Aki pushed the door open and stopped forward, handing his hand out for a hand shake.

"Kon'nichiwa! My little sister Haruno Megumi will be attending school for the first time today! She skipped a grade, and now is a second-year. Megumi-chan also has a heart condition, so everyone, please look after her." Aki bowed and I followed suit. In response, the teachers all smiled and waved. I shyly waved back, uncomfortable in the new territory.

"I'll show you the way to class, Haruno-chan." The same man walked towards me, shaking my hand. I smiled at him, following him out the door. Aki took his cue and left for work.

Soon enough, we stood outside of class 2–1. Feeling more nervous than ever being at school, my hands and legs were wobbly. The nervous kind of adrenaline pumped through me.

"Ano, Sensei? I don't feel good." I looked up to the teacher that had led me here. He smiled at me gently before knocking on the door and opening it.

"Ama-sensei, your new student is here." He gently pushed me in as I tried to resist by digging my heels into the floor.

"You'll be fine. Trust me! The students and teachers here are really kind," he whispered, putting in more force behind his push. I stumbled a little bit, causing me to walking into the classroom as Ama-sensei stopped talking. Everyone's eyes were glued on to me. Feeling my heart begin to pound irregularly, I grabbed space above my chest of the white short-sleeved button-down, which was underneath my black blazer. _Be still, please. Calm down, my heart._

"Oh, that's right! We have a new student today. Please introduce yourself!" A kind voice reached my ears. I looked up and found a short, childish-looking teacher with brown eyes and short brown hair.

"Mei-chan!" A familiar voice called out to me. I looked around to see Mako waving his hand. In the seat next to him was Haru.

"Ano… Um… M-my name is uh… Haruno Megumi. This is my first time attending school. I-I'll be in your care!" I quickly bowed. When I lifted my head back up, I noticed that most of the students were boys. They were all looking at me with flowers or hearts in their eyes, and honestly, it creeped me out. I didn't think that my were looks were special: I had straight black hair down to my shoulders; teal-colored eyes; a cute button nose; and a petite figure that was only 5'4" in height.

"Any questions?" Ama-sensei asked. Immediately, hands shot up. She pointed to one by one in an order.

"Is this really your first time attending school?" One asked.

"Well, my second time. I never went to elementary, but I did spend a year and a half in middle school. This is my first time back."

"What do you like to do?"

"Erm… sports."

"What do you look for in a boyfriend?" The class burst into laughter as more boys joined in. "Yeah! What do you look for in a guy?" _What the heck?!_

"Erm… uh…. ano… A kind and smart guy?" Many of them smiled as they pointed to themselves.

"That's me! I'm kind and smart!" I looked at Ama-sensei for help. She gently smiled and point to an empty desk in front of Haru, next to the window. I walked over and sat down, grateful for it to be done.

"Kon'nichiwa, Mei-chan," Mako whispered leaning forward in his desk. I was already twitching, and his sudden voice didn't help the situation.

* * *

Turns out, the mathematics, literature, and history lessons that Ama-sensei was teaching were stuff that I learned last year with onii-san. So I doodle in my notebook, not paying much attention – since I could multitask – until she called my name.

"Haruno-chan, could you please answer this question?" She pointed to the chalkboard. I stood up walking towards it. _**5xy + (8y ÷ 2y) = 4x + ?**_

_Oh my god, this is way too easy._ I scribbled the answer down without putting much thought into it and then walked away.

"Eto, did you show your work?" I turned around looking at her quizzically.

"I did it in my head?" The class began to whisper in admiration. Just then, the bell rang. I stood, too scared to move at the weird buzzing sound that echoed throughout the school.

"Mei-chan! Let's go eat lunch!" Mako was standing right behind me, causing me to jump a bit. Haru just ignored me as usual. I opened my school bag to find a large bento wrapped in a light pink cloth. I grabbed it just as the door opened with a bang.

"Mako-chan! Haru-chan! Did Mei-chan finally come? I heard some second-years saying how glad they were to be alive cause a new student came in!" Nagi's familiar voice rang out. Soon enough, a body glomped itself onto my back.

"Oomph!" My hip collided with my desk.

"Ah! Nagi-chan! Be careful with Mei-chan!" Mako cried out. Nagi quickly released his grip and grabbed my hips.

"Oh no! Are you hurt? I'm sorry!" For reasons unexplained, my face began to flush. Maybe it was due to the reason that Nagi was holding my hips.

"S-stop! I'm f-fine!" Haru grabbed Nagi by the collar of his blazer, lifting him up easily.

"Stop bothering her."

* * *

School ended that day without another incident. I placed everything in my bag and was about to head out when Mako called out, "Let's walk home together, Mei-chan." I turned around to smile only to find Haru standing right in front of me. He held out hand silently. I looked at him quizzically, uncertain of what to do. He sighed.

"You'll get lost if you don't hold someone's hand. It's crowded in the hallways right now." My lips formed a soundless 'O,' surprised at his kind gesture. I could see a faint pink color in his cheeks. I smiled and took his hand, which was surprisingly warm to my cold one. I turned back in time to see Mako smiling sadly at our hands. Nagi and Rei were still squabbling over something, too busy to notice what was happening.

The moment we reached the outskirts of the school, I tried to lightly tug my hand out of his, but his grip was firm so I gave up. The five of us walked in silence until we reached a split road.

"Jā, mata!" Nagisa shouted, waving his hand. He and Rei walked in one direction while Haru, Mako, and I went in the other. Walking in between the tall boys, I felt surprisingly comfortable.

"Mei-chan, how far do you live? I could walk you home," Mako offered with hopeful eyes.

"It's not too far. Just a little bit more down the road." Suddenly Haru stopped, still holding my hand.

"I live here. Come visit if you want. Jā." He let go of my hand and walked up to his house, unlocking the door before disappearing into it. Mako and I continued on. Eight houses down, I pointed to the two story house with an iron gate outlining the spacious yard. I could see the surprised expression on his face. It was one of the three larger houses with a big yard in the neighbourhood.

"Oh wow. I mean, you live here with your family?" Mako inquired.

"Nope. It's just me and onii-san. My mom is with my dad for business. Last I heard, they were in England."

"I live just two houses down from you. If you want, I could pick you up every morning. It's on the way to Haru's." He nervously smiled.

"I would like that. Thanks!" He breathed out a sigh of relief before he leaned forward, hugging me. I stiffened my body, but then relaxed into his arms. I could smell the clean, autumn scent on his blazer. Realizing what he was doing, Mako quickly let go of me. I pushed the gate open and walked up the steps of my house before things got more confusing.


	7. The Reason Why

"Onii-san! I'm off to school now!" I ran down the stairs once I heard a knock on the door.

"Hmm. Be careful, Mei!" He shouted back from the kitchen. Hurrying, I stuffed my feet into my shoes and opened the door to find Makoto on the other side. It has already been a week since I transferred to school, and I was beginning to enjoy it.

"Ohayōgozaimasu!" Mako greeted me. I smiled, handing him a container.

"Hmm?" He took it and opened the container to find two slices of toast with ham and egg inside. His face lit up like fireworks had gone off. "Thanks!" I opened my wrapped sandwich and ate it alongside Mako until we reached Haru's house. Already used to Haru's weirdness, I followed Mako into Haru's house, stopping in the living room while Mako continued on to the bathroom.

"Haru-chan, time to go. Mei-chan brought breakfast again today. It's really good!" I heard Mako telling Haru. In a second, they both appeared. With Haru just wearing his bathing suit, I couldn't help but notice how nicely toned his muscles were. My eyes wouldn't obey me – they travelled a little further south. _I should be used to this! I see hot, half-naked, high-school guys almost every day. So why was my heart going 'doki' 'doki'?_

A warm heat flared into my cheeks as I quickly looked away before either one of them thought of me as a pervert, or something worse. I gruffly thrusted a similar container out towards Haru.

"Here." He accepted it, popping the lid open.

"No mackerel? Che." My jaw dropped, anime-style. _Did I just hear him correctly? Did he just say what I think he said? The whole, 'che' part?_ Right when I was about to swipe it back, Haru decided to take a bite.

"Ba-ka," I muttered.

* * *

" –cient time… gladiators were… mythology…" I zoned out of Ama-sensei's literature lecture. I had already read all those books that the seconds-years were just starting. I turned my head so that I was facing the outdoors that was just out of my grasp. Just as my eyes passed by a tree, I noticed a black figure on a branch that jutted out of the tree. I squinted my eyes, just making out a shape: a common black-hawk. Excited, I dug out my sketch book from my bag and began sketching the hawk. I was finished by the time the bell rang for lunch. I grabbed my bento, my sketchbook and a pencil, waiting for Mako and Haru. By the time we headed up to the roof, Nagi and Rei were already waiting for us.

I pried the lid to my bento open, taking a bite before I started on a new sketch. This time, I wanted to capture the beauty of a person. _Who could it be? Who could it –? Ah, Makoto sure is handsome. But then, so is Haruka. But, but, Nagisa looks so cute! Then there's Rei! _I puffed my cheeks out, unconscious of my action. The four of them looked at me quizzically. It was then that I noticed their stare that I realized how stupid I probably looked.

"Baka," Haru commented. I rolled my eyes and picked Mako as my target. I lifted my sketchbook onto my lap and began to draw Mako, starting with his kind face. Glancing up and then focusing my attention of my strokes, the process repeated for quite a while. Mako noticed me staring at him before burying my face back into the sketchbook. A mischievous smiled played on my lips as I watched his slight discomfort. Just when the lunch bell rang, he started to get up to leave.

"Mako-chan! Wait! Sit down again really quick, please." Obeying me, he sat down, finally figuring out what I was doing. I snapped my book shut and grinned.

"Okay, let's go!"

* * *

When the school day ended, I followed the gang to the pool outside. It was a medium sized pool, smaller than the indoor pool. Almost immediately, Haru began to strip.

"Ah! Haru-chan! Not in front of a gir-irl..." Haru threw his shirt off, landing on Mako's head as he dove into the water. I stifled my laughter. Mako sighed, going off to the bathroom to change with Rei and Nagi following him. I kicked my shoes and knee-high socks off. Dipping my feet into the cold water, I shivered.

Suddenly, Haru's face popped up near me, still half hidden in the water. A bit startled, I smiled nervously at him, wondering what he was up to. I stayed still as his hand moved towards my leg - thank god I shaved last night. He grabbed my ankle, as if he wanted to pull me in.

"Haru-chan! Haru- oh," Nagi stopped mid-sentence, his eyes following Haru's arm to my ankle. "Ah! I'm sorry!" He giggled, covering his eyes. Mako and Rei emerged from behind gaping at me and Haru. Forgetting about his grasp on my ankle, I tried to stand up. In a swift movement, Haru pulled me into the pool. We both sank to the bottom with him half-smiling.

My mouth formed soundless words, "You're such a terrible person." I saw a twinkle in his eyes right before I swam up to the surface.

"Mei-chan, are you okay?" Mako leaned down to help pull me up. "Haru-chan, you can't do that! Mei-chan isn't even wearing her bathing suit…" Mako blushed, just realizing that I wasn't wearing my swimsuit underneath. I pulled my soaked blazer tighter around my see-through blouse and stomped away to the bathroom, grabbing my duffel. I stripped off my wet clothes and squeezed the water out before putting on my suit. I walked out, placing my wet clothes on a nearby chair, letting the hot sun dry them.

I sat down on the ground again, dangling my feet in the water.

"Swim! Let's have another race!" The four of them tried to persuade me, but I smiled sadly, shaking my head.

"Not in the sun where everyone can see." I looked up, spotting the school.

"Then quit the swim team."

I snapped my attention to Haru, surprised.

"Don't join the swim team if you keep saying that you can't take the pressure. We're here because we like the water. Even though I only swim free, I do compete. I help my team. What about you?" With that, he went back under the water. It was awkwardly silent. Rei, Nagi, and Mako looked at me, uncertain how to react. I stood up, slipped on my extra pair of shorts and a shirt. I grabbed my duffel bag and left.

* * *

"Mei! Dinner's ready!" Aki's voice drifted up the stairs. Haru's words tumbled around my head since this afternoon. I headed downstairs and ate my dinner in silence while Aki rambled on about his work today. Putting my plate in the sink, I headed back to my room, pausing at the kitchen door, "Onii-san, I'm not going to school tomorrow. I don't feel too well."

* * *

Mako came the next morning to pick me up. Luckily, Aki-nii was there to answer the door. I heard him telling Mako that I wasn't feeling well. The same thing happened to following day. And the day after that. And the day after that one. Aki tried to skip work to stay home with me, but I urged him to go, that I would feel better soon. I even told Daichi-sensei that I couldn't train the students for the week. I skipped school for an entire week too. The only time I went out during that week was to go to my hospital in Sendai, hours away from where we currently lived, for my check-up.

"Mei-chan, how are you feeling today? No heart pains? No side effects with the medicine?" Hiroshi-sensei asked. He was onii-san's friend, who happened to also be an athletic trainer-turned-doctor.

"Hiro-kun, I want to be stronger," I stated. He looked at me. "I want to compete again. It's already been a year and a half, almost two. I want to be able to compete again."

"It means getting a stronger heart though. You'll have to go through surgery, and then at least a month of therapy. It might not even work, Mei-chan." He sighed. I couldn't give up.

"I know. I'll do whatever it takes to go to the Olympics. You already know that, Hiro-kun." _If I remember correctly, I could be ready by November 31__st__ the latest. It's already October 10__th__. _Believe it or not, I've only attended school for a week, and skipped the second week.

Hiro-kun stood up. "I'm going to call Aki, ne? If he approves, we can do the surgery immediately."

I smiled, finally realizing that I was one step closer to achieving my dream. Aki and Hiro whispered behind the closed door. Twenty minutes later, Hiro stepped back in and handed me a hospital gown.

"Go change."

* * *

_**"Beep. Beep. Beep."**_

_** "Sensei! Her heart rate is dropping!"**_

_** "What?! It was just stable a second ago! Grab the defibrillation!"**_

_** "Clear!"**_

* * *

_"Mei-chan, why do you like to swim so much? Doesn't it get tiring to compete all the time, knowing that you'll always win?"_

_ I smiled at the girl sitting next to me at the pool. We were both probably ten years old._

_ "Mhmm hmm. I love the water. I love to swim because it's always fun. The feel of the water rushing towards you; the way how I glide with the water. It's fun!" I giggled. She sighed, unhappy with my answer. "Besides, Nai-chan, there's going to be someone who will be better and faster than me one day. I can't wait for that day to come!"_

_ Nai-chan grinned. "If there is such a person, I'll beat them up for Mei-chan! You'll always be my number one, Mei-chan!" We both laughed, splashing our feet in the pool. We watched as a little boy about eight years old, with green hair swimming around with an inner tube, learning how to kick. _

_ "Okaa-san! Look! I can swim without the tube!" He slipped out of the inner tube and resurfaced, happy. He managed to float for a minute before his legs got tired keeping him up._

_ "Help!" He cried out. _

_ "Yuki-chan! Someone help my baby!" His mother shouted, desperate. There weren't any lifeguards around, so without a second thought, I stood up._

_ I backed up for a running start before diving into the cool water. My powerful legs propelled me forward within seconds, reaching the little boy. I wrapped an arm around his chest and kicked for the surface. We both gasped for air as I made my way back to the shallow end of the pool. _

_ "Thank you! Thank you!" She cried. I smiled at her, handing her son over._

_ "Ne, Mei-chan, why do you like the water?" Nai-chan asked as we walked home from the community pool. _

_ "Because, you have to understand how the water acts, how it flows, and how it feels in order to love it." That's right; I love swimming. I love the water. Nothing was going to stop me now._


	8. A Fateful Meeting

**(3****rd**** Person POV)**

"Kon'nichiwa, this is Haruno Aki, the guardian of Haruno Megumi. She's missed school last week. Hai. She'll also miss this week. Huh? Oh, hai. She just underwent a heart surgery. Hai, I'll give her your regards. Hai, you can tell the class. Oh? Mei-chan will be able to go back next week. I will let her know. Arigatō."

Aki glanced at Mei, who was still in a coma from the heart surgery. Hiroshi told him that it was a success, despite her pulse dropping once. She should wake up any day now. It was already three days after the surgery on Thursday.

_Wake up soon, Mei. _Aki rested his head on Mei's bed, closing his eyes.

* * *

_Laughter floated into the evening sky. It was my first time going out with friends to an amusement park at the age of ten. Well, I went with the girls from my swim team, but they were my only friends. _

_ "Wahh! It was so much fun!" I exclaimed. _

_ "I know, right?! The rollercoasters were definitely my favorite!" One by one, our voices joined in on commenting about our favorite rides. Our family members waited outside of the park's gate, waiting to pick us up. _

_ "Oh look! My mommy's here! Jā ne!" My friends slowly began to disappear and I followed suit once I spotted Aki-nii._

_ "Onii-san!" I shouted, waving my hand. He walked over to me and took my hand. "Min-na, jā ne!" Aki opened the car door for me and I climbed in, tired. We rode home in silence. By the time we got home, Aki carried me to bed before he took a bath. I had felt dizzy and a bit sick from all the roller coasters so I had Aki sleep with me. Before long, I was dreaming of an underwater world, where I never wanted to leave. _

_ I thought about how the calm feeling of the water in my fantasy world felt compared to my situation now. I could feel the water beginning to stir, as if wind was rippling across the surface, swirling the water underneath._

* * *

I opened my eyes for what seemed like forever. I noticed a figure sleeping with his head on my bed, and I recognized him to be Aki-nii. All these wires were hooked on to me: on my fingers, chest, temple, and an IV in my arm. Already used to them from my multiple experiences from the hospital, I skilfully unhooked everything. Taking the needle out of my arm was my most hated experience – I had to be really careful or else I would accidently cut my own vein. With everything off of me, I quietly slipped out of bed in my hospital gown. I was out in the cold hallway with some nurses bustling about.

_If I remember correctly, the garden should be on the fifth floor._ I snuck into the elevator and rode it down two floors. The doors slide open, revealing a botanical garden, completed with a large water fountain that spewed out crystal clear water; tall rose bushes outlining a maze; and a variety of exotic plants and flowers. They never ceased to amaze me every time.

"There's a swimmer just like you, Maktsuoka-kun. She's a really brave girl, only sixteen – a year younger than you." A familiar voice said. I quickly hid behind a small forest of trees, peering behind the trunks. I saw Hiro-kun standing with a young man with reddish-brown hair who was seventeen. He didn't bother turning to face Hiro.

"Oh? Who is she?" He asked with mild interest.

"Mei-chan. Ah, that's right, you might not know her." I bristled, slightly offended that a swimmer might not know my name. "She's Haruno Megumi. She just underwent heart surgery for the third time, and she's still chasing after the same dream that she has had since she was two." Hiro chuckled, taking his rectangular glasses off. "Mei-chan really doesn't know how to give up; her condition is very fragile – her heart beats too fast. Though she has irregular pulses in her wrist, heart, and neck, if all go over 110 beats per minute, it's fatal."

"Wait, _the_ Megumi Haruno? The prodigy swimmer from age two? The one who disappeared after her accident that time in the nationals meet three years ago?" Maktsuoka-kun pressed for further information. "The reporters said that she had quit swimming because she lost for the first time in her life!"

_Honestly?! Was that what the reporters from NJN (National Japanese News) said?!_ I stepped forward, rustling the tree leaves, which caused the two of them to turn around. Shocked was expressed on both of their faces, but for Hiro, it quickly turned pale.

"M-m-m-Mei-chan! It's not l-l-like I was t-talking about you!" Hiro stuttered. I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?" Laughing, I spun around, letting the gown flutter. "Mā ne, it's not like you lied about me or anything, Hiro-kun." I stopped twirling, facing the other person. "Kon'nichiwa, Maktsuoka-kun! For the record, I lost the 200m breaststroke because my heart failed on me. I had just gotten the transplant a month before the nationals meet." I winked at him. "And I didn't disappear off the face of the earth. Hiro-kun told me that I couldn't swim competitively again since I couldn't obtain a stronger heart."

"Ob…tain?" He asked.

"Hai, hai! I'm on my third heart!" The cheery smile on my face faded away to one filled with regret and sorrow.

"I'm Maktsuoka Rin,' he offered. Hiro caught my eye, smiling as he pointed back towards the elevator before disappearing.

"Hiro-kun! Tell onii-san that I'm just out, please! He'll have a fit if he sees me gone again!" Hiro waved goodbye and walked out of the garden.

"So Rin-chan," I began, "what is your dream?" He rolled his eyes at 'Rinchan,' smiling.

"My friends used to call me 'Rin-chan,'" he replied softly. "My dream? Beat an old friend and go to the Olympics. What about you?"

My eyes lit up. "You too? Wahh! We're both chasing after the same dream!" I spun around again, laughing. "Fate is sure funny." Rin-chan stared at me, wanting to ask a question but debating whether he should or not.

"Go ahead and ask your question, Rin-chan. But I get to ask you a question too"

"Why are you here?"

"I just got my third heart transplant four days ago. I was in a coma for three days. I just woke up," I stated simply. "My turn: why are _you_ here?"

"I was moving my stuff into my new dorm and I hurt my shoulder. It's just a bruise." I knew we were going to ask each other lots of question so I motioned for him to sit down at the fountain.

"What happened to you after the nationals meet?" Rin got right to the point. I sighed miserably.

"I had to go through another heart surgery immediately. Hiro-kun said that I couldn't swim competitively anymore, since it might fail me a third time. But I went through therapy again for a month. So you're a swimmer, huh?"

"…Yeah…"

"Wait, no! That wasn't the question! I was just making sure! Who were the friends you mentioned earlier?" I quickly corrected my error. I caught him snickering at me, which made me puff my cheeks out.

"Huh, you probably wouldn't know them since you're famous and everything… It's Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, and Hazuki Nagisa."

I froze. I slowly turned my head towards him.

"Haru-chan and the others?" Anger rushed through me at the thought of him after he said those words to me.

"You know them?!" Rin exclaimed. I huffed.

"Of course. I trained them for almost a year at the indoor pool with Daichi-sensei! They got me to transfer to their school and join their swim club!" He looked stunned.

"You…trained them? That would explain why he's gotten so much better last time I saw him, about seven months ago."

"My turn again," I laughed.

"Ehh?! I didn't ask you a question!" Rin protested.

"Yes you did! You asked if I knew them." I smiled, winking at him. "Just kidding, you can go." Silence. "Rin-chan?"

"Will you compete again? I really enjoyed watching you swim. It's like Haru's, but better and more elegant. I don't know how to explain it, but it captivated me." He stared at me. That was when I noticed his gentle red eyes. _How can his red eyes look so gentle?_

"I'm going to try. I just got a stronger heart, so I'll test it out next week, once I get out. I'll break out of here once I get a week of therapy. I'm tired of missing out an entire month, so I'll escape while I can ne?" We sat in silence, watching the sun beginning to set. The sky changed from light blue to an orange color, bathing the botanical garden in a light orange hue. I rubbed my eyes, trying to stay awake as my eyelids became heavy.

"Ne, Rin-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you help me back to my room please?" He stood up, dusting his pants off. He held out a hand for me, and I grabbed it. It was surprisingly warm even though the weather outside was chilly for early October. As we headed towards the elevator, I stumbled, almost falling on my face.

"You remind me of my younger sister, you know." He knelt down, motioning for me to get onto his back, since he was six inches taller than me. He lifted me up after I wrapped my arms around his neck. Feeling exhausted, I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes.

_Onii-san, Hiro-kun, I'll show you guys that because of your support, I can make my dream come true. Just give me two years to work ten times as hard as I did, and I'll show you. I promise._ That was the last thought I had before falling asleep as Rin carried me.


	9. Our Mended Friendship

"Haruno-chan, your stats are very good. You'll be okay if your pulses all go above 110 beats per minute now with your new heart. It most likely won't though, since it's really strong, so you'll be fine even if it does. It works just like how a super healthy heart does! Congratulations!" The nurses all applauded. I beamed a bright smile, excited to get back to the pool after two weeks. They all left my room after that, leaving me alone with Aki-nii.

"Ne, ne! Did you hear that onii-san?" I exclaimed. I bounced up and down on the hospital bed, full of energy. He chuckled, ruffling my hair.

"Honestly, you really act like a little kid. A spoiled one at that too." I hopped off the bed, ready to leave.

"Can we go now, onii-san?" I tugged on his shirt, wanting to leave the hospital as soon as possible. He playfully slapped my hand away.

"Fine. We have to say bye to Hiro-kun on the way out, though." He lifted my overnight duffel bag, leading the way out. We found Hiro-kun just before we left, giving him our thanks.

* * *

It was already October 19th. No one would be at the indoor pool tonight since it was Saturday. I felt too excited to swallow my dinner that evening. I quickly changed into my bathing suit, pulling on a jacket and shorts. Without missing a beat, I grabbed my bag and headed out, practically running to the pool.

Leaving the door locked behind me, I threw my outer layers off and dove into the pool, allowing the cool water wash over me as I stayed under for minutes. _I'm back!_

I swam up, feeling better than ever before. With my digital watch left on my wrist, I decided to start my routine back in full. _Free, breast, back, and butterfly. All 200m._ I stood up on the diving podium, mentally challenging myself. _Ready, set, go!_ The second I dove into the water, my watch automatically began to time me. I steadied my pace, giving a boost for the finish of each stroke. In no time, I completed it in 9:23:18 – a time faster than with my previous heart. I grinned from ear to ear, not feeling tired in the slightest.

"I can do it! Haha, yes!" I laughed. I floated on my back as I replayed what Hiro had told me.

"_You can compete again, but please be careful. Stay away from the weights. You know what? Just avoid the gyms. But wait, you can't. Yes, yes, you can! You can run or jog; climb stairs here at the hospital, in your house, or at school after everyone is gone; and you can ride your bike. Check your pulse every night. What else? Don't drink too much caffeine!" _

I chuckled, amused and touched how caring Hiro was. I swam a couple more laps before I decided to head home.

* * *

Monday morning I woke up pretty late. I rushed downstairs after dressing in my uniform and grabbed toast.

"Onii-san, I'm going to school!" I shouted, running for the door.

"Wait! I'll drop you off!" Aki grabbed his keys and a sports jacket before we headed out. He dropped me off twenty minutes after the bell rang. I headed to class, sliding the door open. It was like the first day of school for me all over again. Everyone became quiet, as I walked into class. Ama-sensei's face lit up.

"Wahh! Haruno-chan, you're back!" Pulling me into a hug, she whispered into my ear, "Please don't push yourself too hard." I smiled and nodded.

"Haruno-chan! Welcome back!" The class shouted happily. Surprised at their heart-warming welcome, I bowed and smiled at them. Then I took my seat in front of Haru. Mako's and Haru's eyes were wide with surprise at my sudden appearance before changing to guilt.

Class passed by again with me doodling in my sketch book. When the bell rang for lunch, Haru and Mako materialized in front of my desk.

"Mei-chan, are you okay?" Mako asked worriedly. I smiled kindly, replying, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Ne, Mei-chan, I'm sorry for what I said a while ago. You know, about how you should quit and everything. I didn't mean it."

I waved his apology off, "No worries. You were right anyways. I should try and get used to swimming in front of others again."

"Ne, ne, is Mei-chan back yet?"

The three of us faced the door to find Nagi and Rei in the doorway, looking for me. Their eyes finally found me as Nagi ran towards me, throwing his arms around my neck.

"Mei-chan! You're back! I'm sorry for not standing up for you when Haru-chan was being mean! I'm sorry!" Nagi cried, tears forming in his eyes. I pulled his arms away, gently ruffling his hair.

"I'm okay! That had nothing to do with this, Nagi-chan! I'm fine!" I laughed. Rei seemed like he had something to ask so I said, "What do you want to ask, Rei-chan?"

He glanced at me before looking at the ground, pushing his glasses up. "H-how was your surgery? I kind of overheard Ama-chan's conversation." The other three boys froze.

"You had another surgery?" They exclaimed.

"Better than ever. I want to swim solo against you four doing a melody right now. Is that okay?" I grinned. Haru half smiled, liking my request. Nagi grabbed my hand, "Hai! Let's go now!" He ran all the way to the pool, dragging me behind him, laughing. I opened my locker, pulling my bathing suit out.

"I'm going to go change." With that, I hurried into the bathroom, changing. I emerged to find the four boys all wearing their swimsuits too. I stood on the diving platform of lane two, while the four of them stood in a line at lane four.

"Alright, order is: back, breast, fly, and free 100m," I announced. They switched positions so that Mako was first; Nagi second; Rei third; and Haru fourth. "Haru-chan, you're the judge." Mako and I got into our starting positions, waiting for Haru.

"Ready. Get set. Go!" We both dove into the water effortlessly. This was just like practice: I swam backwards steadily until I touched the wall, halfway done with the 100m race. Then, I swam with a small burst of speed, enough that I was 2:14:03 seconds ahead of Mako. I touched the wall, beginning my backstroke. Once Mako touched the wall, Nagi dove in, trying to make up for Mako's lost seconds. I continued at the pace that I had finished with, easily ahead of Nagi. The process repeated – the moment I had 50m left to complete, I would add a little bit more power behind my kicks. Once Nagi touched the wall, Rei dove into the water, beginning his butterfly strokes. I was four entire seconds ahead, not slowing down at all.

"Faster Rei-chan, faster!" Nagi shouted, trying to encourage Rei. My last competitor was Haru. He easily made up for the two seconds, leaving me only two seconds ahead of him. With the remaining 50m, I felt the water giving me little to no resistance, as if it wanted me to win. I glided through the water effortlessly, finishing 2:06:47 seconds ahead of Haru.

"Wow! Mei-chan, no wonder you're definitely a genius!" They exclaimed.

"Good race, min-na!" Nagi jumped into the pool, followed by Mako and Rei. The five of us laughed and floated around.

Without even knowing it, we skipped the second half of class.


	10. Water Before the Storm

Our routine began once again with Mako picking me up in the morning before walking to Haru's. It was as if nothing had happened. I would skip school with them whenever Ama-sensei allowed them to practice. I would run back to Daichi-sensei's indoor pool every day after school to train the students. Saturday mornings, I would be there coaching the high-schoolers. Sunday mornings, I would be scrubbing the place clean with help from Haru, Mako, Nagi, and Rei.

* * *

"Who knows where the convenience store is?" I suddenly asked Sunday morning, after we had finished cleaning the pool.

"You still don't know where it is, Mei-chan?" Nagi's surprised voice echoed. I chuckled, still floating on my back.

"I don't do the shopping at my house. Aki-nii does the work."

"Wahh, so lucky! Ne, Haru-chan has to do all the work too! He lives alone!" I glanced over at Haru who seemed pretty content on ignoring our conversations.

"Um, Mei-chan?" Mako shyly asked, "If you want, I could walk you over there later."

* * *

"So… explain to me again why the three of you are here too?" I asked, craning my head around to see Nagi, Rei, and Haru trailing not so secretly behind me and Mako.

"I need to buy more mackerel," Haru muttered.

"I need milk! Milk tastes the best after a hot bath!" Nagi exclaimed.

"…" We were all waiting for Rei's excuse. "I just don't want to go home yet." I rolled my eyes. Mako pointed towards a store coming up in our view. "That's the convenience store. It's not too far from the pool." We walked into the store. I grabbed a basket and headed towards the meat section with Haru next to me. He made a beeline for the mackerels, grabbing two packets in his hand, inspecting them. I walked along the aisle, looking for chicken. Finally spotting the one that I wanted on the top shelf, I stood on my tip-toes, reaching for it. Only the bar of the shelves holding their cold, fresh meat stood in between me and my goal. I guess me stretching for the chicken was a funny sight, because I heard someone chuckle as they grabbed the chicken for me.

"You should've asked someone for help, you know." A familiar voice commented, placing the chicken in my basket. I looked up and found who the voice belonged to.

"Rin-chan!"

He smiled cheerfully, patting my head. "How are you feeling now?"

"Good! How is your shoulder?" I asked.

"It's fine. The bruise is gone now." He looked around, "Ne, are you alone?" I shook my head.

"Mhmm Hmm. Haru-chan and the others are here. Mako-chan showed me the way…here." I was surprised to see his normally gentle eyes turn to something cold and hard. Rin grabbed onto my shoulders, shaking me a bit.

"Take me to them." He demanded. My eyes widened. Rin realized what he was doing, quickly releasing me. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that, Megumi-chan." I smiled at him.

"I wasn't scared, just surprised. I'll take you to them, Rin-chan." I held out my hand for him and he took it. I lead him to the mackerel section, where Haru was bound to still be.

I didn't know at that time about their rivalry. I didn't know that they didn't like each other anymore. But it was already too late for I had created a storm.

* * *

"Look who I ran into, min-na!" Haru looked up from the two mackerels in his hand, his eyes narrowing. Mako's jaw dropped down. Nagi's eyes sparkled brightly. Rei just stared.

Their eyes all travelled down to my occupied hand, which was in Rin's hold. Haru's blue eyes became stormy.

"Let her go, Rin."

Rin scoffed. "What if I don't want to, Haru? What are _you_ going to do?"

Confused, I looked back and forth between them. So I tugged on Rin's hand, getting his attention.

"Ne Rin-chan, what's going on?" Other than fearing that my heart would fail, my other biggest fear was of fights. Fights could lead to something nasty, such as death. Rin flashed a smile at me, but it wasn't the gentle smile that I was used to. I gripped his hand, a bit frightened. Mako held out his hand, "Mei-chan, come over here." Haru and Rin continued to stare at each other, not making a move. I glanced at Rin, noting his distracted look. I released my grip on his hand and held it out for Mako to grab. I stood beside Makoto, feeling his strong and protective aura surround me.

"I want you to race me tomorrow, Haru. At the old pool. Be there at 9pm." He spun around on his heels and left. Mako squeezed my hand reassuringly. Haru placed a mackerel back in the pile with the others and headed for the cash register, ready to pay. We all followed him.

* * *

On the way home with Makoto and Haru, it was silent. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Haru said, "I won't tell you to stay away from Rin, but be careful of him. He's not the Rin you think you know, Mei." He stopped walking, causing me to almost run into his back.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but leave me out of it. I just met Rin at the hospital anyways." I snapped. I grabbed my grocery bag from Mako and walked ahead of them, not waiting for either one.

"Mei! You're home late! I sent you to the convenience store. Did you get lost? Are you hurt?" Aki quickly inspected me, satisfied that I was alright. I handed him the grocery bags and made my way up into my room.

_Rin and Haru… Haru and Rin… what in the world happened between them? I want to ask, but I can't. _I turned around grabbing a pillow, squeezing it close to my body. _On the other hand, Mako's hand was different to Rin's. Mako's was big and warm, kind of like a fluffy panda._ My face flushed a bit. I quickly sat up and smacked my cheeks. _What am I saying? I need to go for a swim!_

* * *

I stood on the 10m tall diving board. I leapt into the air, performing my usual twists. I landed in the water, staying under the surface before swimming forward. When I resurfaced, I heard someone clapping. Startled, I whirled around to find the person standing at the edge of the pool.

"Who's there?" I demanded.

"Rin."

"Rin-chan?! How did you get in here?"

"The window. I saw you practicing, and I decided to come watch you, Megumi-chan." He smiled mischievously. "I don't have to worry about you anymore, eh? It seems like you are doing better than what Hiroshi-sensei said."

"Of course!" I huffed. "I have to keep practicing to make up for the two weeks I've been out, you know." He began to take his shirt off. _Ehh?! Ehh?!_ I quickly covered my eyes, embarrassed to see someone that I didn't even know that well begin to strip. I slowly peeked through my fingers, catching a glimpse of his chiselled abs._ Wow… gorgeous. Wait, what?! No, they're definitely not that impressive, pshh. I have seen half-naked guys for quite a long time._

"Come on, let's race a little." Rin dove into the water and swam over to me. I couldn't help myself – I had to accept his challenge.

"100m Breaststroke?" He nodded his head as we both climbed out of the water. Standing on the small platform, we stood in ready positions. We glanced at each other and nodded.

_Ready, set… go!_

We lunged into the cool water, with only one goal in my mind: beat Rin. That proved to be a little more challenging. I only made it 0:52:10 seconds faster than him. Catching my breath, I grinned at him.

"Good race, Rin-chan!" He half-smiled, pushing his hair out of his face.

"If you trained Haru, then he'll be faster than me too." He had a faraway look in his eyes, before snapping his attention back on to me. "Ne, Megumi-chan, do you think you can train me?"

"Join Daichi-sensei's club. Well, it has to be school affiliated. Which school are you in?" I informed him.

"Samezuka Academy. I'm a second year there. So I have to join their swim team? Well, I was already thinking about it. Guess I'll have to officially join. Can't you give me private lessons?"

"Well, I can't give you _private_ private lessons, but I can teach you since I run my own training class in my onii-san's facility. If no one goes there, then I can give you somewhat of a private lesson. But Haru and the others go there, so you'll have to behave."

"Yes, ma'am!" He playfully saluted.


	11. Swimming 101

"No, bakas! To swim faster, slightly cup your hands! Not like a hook, Rei-chan! Like this!" I motioned for him to come closer to the wall of the pool. He came closer and then I grabbed his hand. I moulded his hand to mine to show him how it was done. Haru inspected his hand like it was the most intriguing thing in the world. I leaned past Rei and smacked the back of his head.

"You're not a very good coach, Mei-chan," Haru muttered. I ignored his comment and moved on.

"Okay, now start over everyone. Your time will definitely be faster by a couple of seconds if you are doing it correctly." They obediently lined up at the vertical end of the pool. "Go!" The four of them kicked off from the wall, swimming their own forms. I noticed that Mako was slowly down, so I made a mental note about his hand techniques.

"Wahh! Mei-chan, you're soooo smart! It made me swim faster! I felt it!" Nagi exclaimed, jumping up and down which splashed water everywhere. Haru and Rei nodded their heads, agreeing with Nagi.

"Alright, go take a five minute break. Mako-chan, I need you to stay for a minute." The other three climbed out of the pool, leaving Mako behind.

"Yes, Mei-chan?" He curiously asked.

"Are you able to change the shapes of your hands really fast as you swim?"

"Hai?"

"I mean, when your arm is in the air, coming down to make the rotation, turn your hand to the slide, like you're cutting the water. Like this." I grabbed his wet hands, and demonstrated. "And then, once your hand is in the water, cup it slightly to propel yourself forward. When you pull your hand up out of the water again, turn it onto its side again."

Mako looked at me with confusion in his eyes. I sighed and slipped my jacket off. His eyes widened slightly, before blushing. I lowered myself into the water.

"Float on your back," I commanded. He did, and I stood behind his head. I held onto both of arms, surprising him. He sank down; sputtering once he came back up.

"M-m-mei-chan?"

"Just relax. I'll show you what I mean." He floated on his back once again and I held both of his arms. I maneuvered his hands to my liking and understanding lit up in his eyes. I backed away, giving him room to stand.

"I get it now! That made a lot of sense!" I smiled at him, which made him blush even more. Just then, the door burst open, causing the five of us to turn towards the source.

Rin stood at the entrance, making eye contact with Haru.

"Rin-chan. Don't do anything rash, got it?" I reminded him, letting my voice carry out. He swivelled his head until he found me, giving me a cocky grin.

"Hai, I won't. Just for you, Megumi-chan." I nodded my head, satisfied with his answer.

"Mei, what is _he_ doing here?" Haru demanded, coming towards me. I gave him a long, hard stare. _That is totally not cute…_

"He signed up to be a member of Aki-nii's training facility. I have to help him too. Don't do anything stupid to get kicked out of here, 'k? Not only will you be put on probation here, but also at the indoor pool. You don't want that, cause it's too cold to swim outdoors." A sad look crossed Haru's face before a look of determination appeared in his blue eyes. He nodded his head and made sure to stay away from Rin for the rest of the day.

After I was finished with Mako, I told him to go take a break. He joined Haru and the others.

"Rin-chan, your turn," I called out. "What's your form?"

"Freestyle and butterfly." I raised an eyebrow at his comment.

"Alright, swim 100m of each. Don't stop until you finish both." Rin stood on the diving platform, waiting for my command. I held my stopwatch in hand.

"Ready, set… go!" I started my watch. Haru, Mako, Nagi, and Rei observed Rin as he dominated the pool. It wasn't as graceful as Haru's, much less Rei's, but it had power to it. I stopped the timer once he completed his laps. I was itching to ask him this one question, so I just had to.

"Why do you swim like a whale, Rin-chan?" His face was one of surprise mixed with confusion and then anger.

"You're the first to say that. I've been told that I swim like a shark, not like a whale." Mako and Nagi burst out laughing, but then tried to stifle it.

"I mean, Haru-chan swims like a dolphin – graceful and powerful. Mako-chan's like a whale? No, like an orca with his backstroke – determined and focused. Nagi-chan… eto… like a dog? Just kidding Nagi-chan," I corrected myself, laughing when I saw Nagi pout. "Nagi-chan's like a fluffy penguin with his breaststroke – strong arms. Rei-chan… I don't really have anything to compare you with, Rei-chan. Gomen'nen!" I winked at them. "Rin-chan's kicks and arm strength are powerful, but not graceful at all. I would say you seem like an elephant swimming, but that'd be too mean."

His eyes were filled with understanding as he caught the meaning behind my allegories.

"What can you do to change that?" I inquired, cocking my head to the side. Rin mulled over the thought before replying, "Swim more gracefully?" I nodded my head.

"Work on that on the side. Haru, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei – it's your turn." The four of them jumped into the pool, happy to receive my attention again.

"Let's do the 100m again. Swim your own forms, and try to improve your time. Think about what I told Rin-chan earlier about the way you swim."

With Mako in the water, and the other three on the platforms, they awaited for my call.

"Ready? Set… go!" They all began to swim. Following my advices, their times became faster.

"Haru-chan, 0:34:19 seconds faster; Mako-chan, 0:21:57 seconds faster; Nagi-chan, 0:44:12 seconds faster; and Rei-chan, 0:26:01 seconds faster. Not bad, min-na!" I praised. "Your time is up; go to Room 3-12 and wait for me there. I should be done with Rin-chan in twenty minutes." I turned around to focus my attention back on Rin, just in time to notice the toothy smile of challenge he aimed at Haru. I looked back at Haru and the others, "Go. _Now_." In a flash, they disappeared.

"Megumi-chan, don't you find me… dangerous?"

"Huh? What brought that on? Is it because you have those sharp teeth?" He sighed, huffing out a 'never mind.' I rolled my eyes. I continued to teach him on how to kick gracefully. For some reason, I didn't want to give Rin all my secrets, like I did with Haru and the others.

* * *

I stood outside of the clear-windowed gym, watching the four of the using the gym equipment. I pushed the door open, making sure the stay near the door.

"Let's go, min-na." I announced, clapping my hands. I watched as Rei walked in front of the weight lifting bars, and I felt myself cringe a bit. _I'll be fine all the way over here, baka. Calm down._ They finally then all looked up, ready to leave.

We made our way out of the training facility and headed home.

"When do you think you can swim in front of others again, Mei-chan?" That was an unexpected question. I glanced over at Haru, who was walking beside me.

"I think I can do it starting tomorrow. I'm ready to compete again." I gave them a half-grin, thinking about the past. _I'm definitely ready!_


	12. Starting Over

_Breathe in. Breathe out. In and out. Man, it's really hot out. Okay, seriously, I got this._ I dove into the water with Rei timing me. _Free, breast, back, butterfly._ I allowed my mind to go blank, as my body effortlessly glided through the water. My hands sliced through the formless liquid, carving a path for me to swim through.

"0:43:02 seconds!" Rei shouted. I continued onto my breaststroke, not stopping at all. Within seconds, I moved onto backstroke and then butterfly. I gasped for air after swimming a total of 400m.

"2:04:35 seconds?!" Rei exclaimed, pushing his glasses up to look closer at the time.

"Wahh! Mei-chan is amazing! Better than all of us!" Nagi shouted leaning over the edge of the pool to throw his arms around my neck. I chuckled, allowing him to hug me.

"Mei-chan, you're really amazing." Mako said with a gentle expression. For some reason, the way he said it made me blush. _I know he's just talking about my swimming, but why does my heart feel like this?_ It was a new and strange sensation – that light and fast thumping of my heart that wasn't a heart attack for the first time. I wiggled out of Nagi's embrace and ducked under the water again, feeling Haru's stare following me.

Once again, the five of us had skipped the second half of class. We returned after the school bell rang to retrieve our belongings to find Ama-sensei standing in at our desks with her arms crossed.

"If you three misbehave like this again, I'll have to prohibit you from swimming at the pool for a week," scolded Ama-sensei. Haru, Mako and I hung our heads. Hearing light snickers, the four of us looked up to find Rei and Nagi hiding behind the door, laughing at our misfortune.

"And you two!" Ama thundered, scaring the five of us. "Don't learn bad things from your sempais!"

"Actually, Mei-chan is the same age as Nagisa-kun and I. Does that still make her our sempai?" Rei asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose again. Realization dawned on all of their faces as they stared at me.

"That's right! I forgot about that," Ama remarked, putting a finger on her chin.

"Oh yeah…" Nagi, Haru, and Mako echoed. "She just acts really mature for her age."

_For my age? I'm sixteen… so yeah, I would be mature…_ I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, Ama-chan! We want to sign-up for a competition! We're ready now, since we have Mei-chan! She was amazing just now, Ama-chan! Like a mermaid!" exclaimed Nagi.

_Wuuuut... You serious, Nagisa?_ She sized me up, slowly assessing me with plan formulating in her cunning mind.

"Good! I was waiting for this moment for four years, Haruno-chan!" She crowed happily. _She waited for me for four years?_ I shuddered. _How creepy._

She chuckled evilly, her fingers move on their own accord. "Finally, my hero Haruno-chan will be swimming for this school! I'm. So. Happy! I've followed you in magazines and on the television!" She danced around.

"Ano…Ama-sensei?" She ignored me, continuing her tribal dance. "Oh and no more skipping classes!" _Oh well, whatever…_

"You have until next Monday to get ready, min-na!" Ama-sensei announced on Thursday.

"Only four days to prepare? Including today?!" Rei exclaimed. "That's not enough time, Ama-sensei."

"On the contrary, I think we're definitely ready," Mako put in, smiling. He glanced at me and smiled warmly, causing me to look away.

"Let's practice." Haru jumped into the pool.

"Sugoi! Practice hard if you want to win the prize!" Ama encouraged.

"What's the prize, Ama-chan?" Nagi asked excitedly. Her eyes gleamed. "A prize money of 100,000 yen! We can use the money to repair the pool, or go on a trip!"

"A trip!" Nagi and Rei cried out, pumping their fists into the air.

"Repair the pool!" Haru put in. Mako and I glanced at each other, laughing at their reactions.

"A trip doesn't sound bad, ne, Mei-chan? We could have fun." implored Mako and his green eyes. They sent a little shiver down my spine.

"Yup! I'd love to go on a trip!" I agreed. Haru, looking dejected, mumbled something about a pool. Everyone ignored him, knowing his obsession with water.

"Hot springs! Let's go to the hot springs, min-na!" Nagi began to dance around too. "So practice hard!"


	13. Just the Beginning

"And from Iwatobi High School: Captain Tachibana Makoto and Nanase Haruka, Haruno Megumi, Hazuki Nagisa, and Ryugazaki Rei." The announcer introduced each high school and the members on the team. I looked around the enormous place, seeking other female members.

Annnnnd no. But it wasn't like this competition was just for males though. I mean, it wasn't like this was specifically for a boys' swim team. I was beginning to get fidgety. I hopped from foot to foot, annoying a couple of competitors nearby. They stared at me, either giving me hard stares or snickers.

"You'll do fine like you always do, Mei-chan," encouraged Mako. He smiled, patting my head.

"You'll win first like always, and then we'll be famous!" Nagi exclaimed, rubbing his face into my back, glomping onto me.

"Haruno-chan! Ganbatte!" Ama-chan shouted, waving her stand from the stands. "Oh, and everyone else, ganbatte!" It was then, that the swimmers began to turn around, one by one, staring at me.

"Haruno-chan? Wait, _that_ Haruno Megumi? No way! I heard she died. No, baka. I heard that she moved abroad." Flurries of explanation for my reappearance had begun to spread. I ignored them all, starting my stretches. My teammates glanced at me worriedly.

"Mei-chan! I didn't know that you swim! You never swam while teaching us!" I looked up from the ground to see some of the high-schoolers that I trained at Daichi's pool.

"I was recovering for a long time, so I couldn't swim much. I started back up recently." I only told him half of the truth. I was recovering for almost two years, but I still swam constantly. I did start swimming in front of other recently.

"Oh, good luck today, Mei-chan! I won't go easy!" The herd of them left, leaving me alone again. I took a deep breath, calming my nerves.

"Five minutes to start! In this order: melody relay of 100m backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. Next will be the individual races of 100m and then 200m of back, breast, fly, and free. And last up will be the 200m melody." The announcement crackled. I smiled, readier than ever to jump into the water and dominate the pool. I was prepared for this day. If I won all of my divisions, I would be a step closer to my dreams. I was entered in all of the 100m and 200m races, and I was with Mako, Haru, and Nagi in the 200m melody. _Thank goodness there is a ten minute break in between each of the individual races, and a twenty minute break before switching to the last melody. _I sat down on the bench with the other competitors not participating in the first relay. Mako was first in the water from our team. The backstroke swimmers were all in the water, with their hands and feet against the wall, ready for the start.

"Go!" In seconds, Mako completed his 100m backstroke, and Nagi immediately dove into the water the moment Mako's hand touched the wall.

Iwatobi High was second place out of eight so far. I saw Nagi's cupped hands propelling him faster and further. I smiled, happy that he took my advice. I glanced at the timer on the wall: 0:49:06 seconds. We were still 0:05:12 seconds behind the leading school. _We need Haru to make the time up if this continues_…

Soon enough, it was Haru's turn. He dove into the water, swimming like a dolphin – so graceful and beautiful. In no time, he made up for the lost time that we were lacking in, finishing in first.

"First place in the 100m melody goes to… Iwatobi High!" The crowd cheered on, excited for more. "20 minutes until the 100m individual races!" It was me against Mako against the other competitors. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, slowly letting it out. _And again. Breathe in. Breathe out. Nothing will stop me on the path to the Olympics._ I opened my eyes, determined. I felt someone clap my shoulder, and I turned around to find the four of the standing behind me, encouraging me on with determined looks in their eyes. I smiled before jumping into the water with Mako in the lane next to me. We were going against more people now, with twelve others competing against me and Nagi.

"Ready. Set. Beep." We pushed ourselves off the wall with force. I stayed steady, taking third right before I touched the wall of the 50m swim. I exerted a little more force behind my kicks and hand movements, easily overtaking first by 0:21:47 seconds; Mako came in third.

"Just as expected of Mei-chan and Mako-chan! Wahh!" Nagi praised. The competition continued on with Iwatobi dominating the races. After so long of not swimming, feeling the thrill, the rush, I felt ecstatic.

"And winning today's competition is Iwatobi High! Second place goes to [school name], and third is [school name]. The judges called us over to stand on the podium with a big check and a gold trophy. Reporters came to take our pictures interviewing us. One of the younger reporters caught my eye. _Hmm… he looks…familiar? Where have I seen him?_ His green hair stood out along with his light hazel eyes. He caught me staring at him and winked at me, lifting his hand up in sort of a wave before weaving his way out of the crowd of reporters.

"How does it feel to be the only female on the team? You won first in every single one of the individual races, so how did you do it? What is your name?" The reporters all waited for my replies. I remembered the years of interrogations that I would have every time I won since the age of five.

"My name is Haruno Megumi. Being the only female on this team is no different than hanging out with your friends doing what you love together, just like any other sport. I practiced and trained hard every day so that I could achieve my goal one day." I smiled at them all as the lights flashed from their cameras. Suddenly Ama-chan pushed her way up to the foot of the podium, shouting our names.

"Tachibana-san, Nanase-san, Hazuki-san, Ryugazaki-san, and Haruno-chan!" She pointed towards the exit. I shared a look among my friends and we all smiled, nodding our heads.

"Gomen'nasai, min-na!" I shouted. Next thing everyone knew, the five of us had jumped off the podium, making our grand escape, laughing with Ama-chan running behind us.

"Ah… there goes our big scoop…" The reporters muttered, turning around to find another source to follow.

This was only just the beginning.


	14. Hot Springs Adventure Part1

"Wahh! Hot springs in Hokkaido!" Nagi shouted, running ahead of us.

"Ne, why isn't Ama-sensei here?" Rei asked, pushing his glasses up. I noticed that he did that quite often.

"Hmm, she said that something came up so she couldn't come. Something like family matters. But then she said it was a cat." Mako mused over the thought.

"What's with the flurries of excuses?" I muttered. We stared at the medium-sized inn that we were staying for three days and two nights.

* * *

"We're checking in as Iwatobi Swim Club." Makoto stood at the reception desk, checking us in.

"I have two rooms for you." She glanced at me and then at the other four boys. "Will one of you be staying with the young lady perhaps?" When they looked among each other, she winked at me. _Ehh?_

"Eto… we were planning to let Mei-chan sleep alo–" Rei began, only to be cut off.

"There's a ghost that haunts this place." She leaned over the counter, whispering. "It preys on pretty girls who sleep alone in this inn." She leaned back smiling, her voice back to normal. "But the young miss should be fine. I mean, I think she'll make it until morning. I'll show you to your rooms."

Mako was quivering next to Haru, who stood there with an impassive face. She led the way to the second floor, where we were staying at. The four boys went into one room, leaving me in the other. I sighed and unpacked, taking advantage of the drawers. Right as I finished putting my stuff away, someone knocked on the door before sliding it open. I looked up to find Haru standing there. He came in, closing it behind him.

"…" I was waiting for him to say something.

"We talked about it and thought it might be best for me to stay here with you. Mako's afraid of ghosts, and Nagi doesn't want to leave Rei alone. So…" he trailed off, looking at me.

"Okay. Those other three drawers are yours then. Mine are those three on the right." I pointed at them. He nodded his head and unpacked his belongings.

After he finished, we walked next door to where Rei, Nagi, and Mako stayed. We all hung out, playing board games, eating dinner, and relaxing until it was eight at night.

"We should head to the hot springs before they close it," I reminded them. They all stood up, agreeing.

"Ne Mei-chan, we should go to the opened air mixed bath together!" Nagisa exclaimed, excited.

"Huh?!" A light blush covered my cheeks. But it was nothing compared to the red color blooming on Rei, Mako, and Haru's faces.

"N-nagi-chan, I-I d-don't think t-that's a g-go-good idea," stuttered Mako. Nagi laughed, grabbing my arm.

"Ano… I-I'll pass, Nagi-chan." I quickly escaped from his grasp and fled into the women's bath area. My heart was pounding. _But I kinda wanted to see Mako and Haru… what am I saying?!_ I brought both hands up and slapped my face lightly. I stripped down, wrapping a towel around myself and wrapping my hair up. It was an open air bath with a bamboo-constructed wall separating the men's and the women's bath.

"Meiiii-chan! Are you therrrrre?" I heard Nagi's voice drift over to my side, calling for me. I chuckled, replying, "What is it, Nagi-chan?" Silence. A flurry of whispers.

"Nothing! We just wanted to make sure you were there!" I heard him giggle. I rolled my eyes and sank down in the hot, refreshing water.

* * *

"Goodnight!" Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei waved before leaving our room, leaving me and Haru alone. The lady from the reception desk misunderstood our situation, since she left us with one futon and two pillows. It was a medium-sized futon, which was better than giving us a small one. The others had single futons. We sat around awkwardly, uncertain of how this was going to end.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Haru said, breaking the silence. I nodded my head. He crawled into the futon, wearing his t-shirt and shorts. I followed him, entering from the other side in my long-sleeved shirt and boxer shorts. For the first week of November in Hokkaido, it was freezing. I was shivering by midnight.

"Are you cold?" Haru turned around, facing my back.

"N-not r-re-really…" My teeth were obviously chattering, but I tried to ignore it. I felt Haru scooting closer to me in the futon.

"Come here. It's warmer," he suggested. I felt the warmth from his body and I automatically turned around, going for it. I accidently kicked his leg in the process but I noticed how warm they were. Without thinking, I pressed my cold legs against his. He let out a small gasp before laughing.

"You should have said something earlier." Feeling a bit self-conscious, I avoided looking at Haru. His right arm was tucked underneath his head and his left arm hung loosely on his side. I snuggled closer, attracted to his warmth against the freezing temperature. The cold slowly lulled me to sleep. My eyelids became heavy with sleep, and the last thing I saw before I fell asleep was Haru kindly looking at me.

* * *

Someone was trying to shake me awake.

"Mei-chan. Haru-chan. Wake up." I ignored the voice, snuggling closer to my source of warmth. Something squeezed me a little tighter to the warmth, and I relaxed.

"Aww! They're so kawaī!" The voice squealed.

"Shh! Let them sleep a bit longer!" Another voice hushed the first one. I buried my face into some warm and soft. And something hard beneath the softness. I breathed in a nice, wintery scent. I cracked an eye open and found a blue cotton in front of me; opened both eyes and found a t-shirt. _Huh?_ Still half-asleep, I blinked my eyes a couple of times to see someone sleepings really close to me. _Oh, it's just Haru._ I began to close my eyes again before snapping them open. _Ehh?! Haruka?!_. I found his arm around my waist and my head on his right arm, using it as a pillow. My arms were trapped in between our bodies, making it impossible for me to escape.

I glanced over at Haru again, noticing the peaceful expression on his sleeping face. _He looks so gentle, like a little kid._ I giggled softly, trying not to wake him up. Oops. He groggily opened his eyes and stared at me with his intense blue eyes.

"Mei-chan?" His morning voice was heavy with sleep.

"Ohayō, Haru-chan."

His eyes wandered down, finally noticing where his hands were. We stayed like that for a while longer, not talking.

"Ano…" I began.

BOOM. The sliding door to our room crashed down, startling the two of us. We sprang apart.

"Baka! You were pushing me!" Rei shouted down at Nagisa.

"Ahh! I told you guys to stop eavesdropping on them!" Mako laid under the two of them, crushed. Rei was on top of Nagi, who was on top of Makoto. In response, Nagi giggled.

"But they sounded so cute! I wonder what they did last night!"

"HUH?!" Haru and I squeaked, our faces red. "W-w-we didn't d-do anyt-thing!"

"You both are so kawaī!" Nagi continued on. I glanced over at Mako, and I noticed something: his eyes were stormy.

"Let's go s-somewhere!" I suggested, changing the conversation.

* * *

"A waterpark!" Nagi and I cried out at the same time. We all wore our swimsuits underneath. Ama-chan had managed to convince the school to give us some spending money, and she saved the prize money for our future competitions and transportation funds. We had already paid for our entrance fees and the five of us went inside the park. Waterslides, wading pools, a large swimming pool, hot tubs, and a huge diving pool were waiting for us. We rented a large locker and stuffed out belongings inside with our clothes, leaving us in our bathing suits. I was wearing a ruffled bikini that I had from a couple of years ago, when my friends and I hung out at the beach constantly after swim practices.

"M-mei-chan, isn't t-t-that too… eto…much?" Rei stuttered after he saw what I was wearing. Nagi, Mako, and Haru stared. I shrugged.

"This is what girls wear when they're out having fun. Look." I swept a hand out, motioning towards the females at the water park. Nagi was the first to recover.

"Come on, Mei-chan! I want to ride the two-person slide with you!" He grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the forty-foot tall waterslide. I grinned, following him.

"Wait! Nagi-chan!" We heard Mako call out, but we hurried towards the slide, not wanting to wait long in line. The lifeguard stationed there handed us a double raft. I climbed in the front and Nagi climbed in behind me, sitting with his legs outlining mine. A faint blush colored my cheeks. We both grabbed onto the handles on the side of the raft, and then the lifeguard pushed us into the swirling dark tunnel.

I shrieked as we went down into the dark void as Nagi laughed all the way down. As we neared the end of the tunnel, sunlight streamed down, lighting the way out to the water. The raft slid effortlessly over the water as there was another lifeguard to catch the raft. We both hopped out, laughing.

"That was fun! Ne, Mei-chan?" Nagi asked, twirling around. I grinned, excited.

"Let's go again!"

"Mei-chan! Nagi-chan!" Mako waved us over. "Let's go on that!" He pointed to a huge waterslide that seated five people per raft. My eyes lit up excitedly. We hurried over there, just in time as no one else was there. The five of us climbed in, waiting to be swallowed up by the gushing water and open air.

* * *

"I want to go to the diving pool!" I shouted, pointing at the 10m diving board and the deep pool. The boys smiled, following me as I led the way. I gasped in awe – even at a large waterpark, they provided judges for diving competitions for fun. I signed up for it and waited on the bench with three other people, two being males and a female. My friends were waiting in the shallow end of the pool with the other spectators, observing the on-going competition.

"How many people are in this competition?" I asked the boy sitting in front of me. Startled, he looked at me before answering.

"Eto… there were two people that already went. The third one is going now, and there are four of us on the bench. So… seven." He smiled. "Do you dive often?" He asked.

"Hai, it's one of my favorite things to do." I grinned, eager for my turn.

"A total of twenty-eight points!" The announcer exclaimed. I was watching the third person who had faulted during her twist. _It wasn't smooth…_ I took mental notes as my other competitors went.

Finally, it was my turn.

"And our seventh contestant, Haruno-san!" The crowd whistled and cheered, and I heard Nagi, Rei, Mako, and Haru cheering me on. _I'll do my favorite one. _I chuckled. This one won me first place in numerous competitions. It was my famous and one of the most difficult dive, two and a half back-somersaults with two and a half twists, called 'The Twister'. I jumped from the diving board, feeling the wind parting way for me as I performed. I landed in the water gracefully, not losing my touch. _Heh, I still had it in me!_ I grinned happily as the crowd roared with approval and awe. The judges were staring at me in amazement, forgetting to write their scores down. The announcer nudged them, regaining their attention. They all quickly scribbled something down, holding it up.

"Incredible!" The announcer shouted. "A perfect score? No! Infinity beyond incredible! Performing one of the most difficult tricks of the world, 'The Twister!'"

"Can you tell us your name and your age?" He shoved the microphone in my face as I got out of the pool.

"Haruno-san is all I will give you," I winked playfully. "Age sixteen!" I held up two fingers, making a 'V' with them, winking. The audience chuckled at my playfulness.

"Aww, so kawaī!" I took a good look at the host, making him out to be around his early twenties. He handed me a gold medal and a large lollipop as my prize. I smiled, thanking him before disappearing off the stage, heading towards my friends who were waiting for me.

* * *

"Mei-chan was so cool today! Winning first in that diving competition and the one-person melody race! Wahh!" Nagi praised once we were back in the room the three of them shared from the waterpark and after we soaked in the hot springs. We were helping Mako move his stuff into my room, while Haru moved his belongings out to the room next door where Nagi and Rei were. Nagi was complaining on the bus ride home how he wanted to sleep with Haru too because of his body heat, so Haru complied. That left me alone in a freezing room, so Mako volunteered to stay with me.

"You guys were pretty great too!" I interjected. "I mean, in the team melody you guys got first!" Mako smiled encouragingly, "You're right! We did great together." We carried on our conversations, making jokes, laughing and having fun.

My eyes slowly began to droop. I glanced at the clock. _3:21AM? That's pretty late…_ I yawned, covering my mouth. I leaned on the small table in front of me and closed my eyes for a minute. _I'll make sure to wake up in five minutes._ I thought before drifting off into a dream.


	15. Hot Springs Adventure Part 2

_"Mei-chan! Let's go dive off the cliff over there!" A girl around sixteen tugged on my hand, leading me towards the tall, scary cliff that hung over the ocean. _No, it's scary over there. _My mind kept telling me that, and I knew that it was true. The waves were crashing against the rocks at the base of the cliff. _No! I'm scared. It's dangerous!_ The girl tugged harder, beckoning me to go with her._

_ "Come on, Mei-chan! You promised that you'd come dive with me!" She insisted. _How come I couldn't see her face? It was in a shroud of shadow. Mat-te! Chigau! I don't want to! _I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Waiting for us at the top of the cliff were four other girls my age. They surrounded me in an instant, cornering me like a mouse. _

_ "Why are you better than us? Just lose to us. Just once would be enough. We want to shine too. You always take the spotlight. Jump off the cliff and die. If you are talented, you should survive, ne?" _Yamete! _They grabbed me, herding me towards the edge of the cliff. I stepped backwards, already at the edge. A rock broke free, crumbling down to the crashing waves below. "Just die already!" They lunged towards me, causing me to lose my balance. I fell down the high cliff, grasping at air, falling towards my death. The waves pulled me under, farther and farther down into the dark ocean. I knew I could hold my breath for a couple of minutes, but there wasn't enough time for me to reach the surface and break free._

_ It was silent under the waves. It was strangely calm. I had a feeling that I was going to die soon unless I could break the water's grasp on me, but I didn't want to move. _

_ "Mei-chan, wake up." A voice called out to me gently. _No… I don't wanna. It's calm down here. Let me go rest in peace._ "Mei-chan, it's just a nightmare. Wake up._" _The voice was persistent, rattling my brain. The currents continued to pull me deeper. _Is that… a shining light? _I squinted at the golden light descending down towards me._ Sunlight? No… it's too dark down here. _It took on the form of a hand that belonged to a person. It reached out towards me, and I took it._

* * *

I bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. I tasted the salty ocean water in my mouth, feeling the pressure crushing my chest, making it hard to breathe. I gasped for air, expanding my lungs. A pair of green eyes studied me, worried. My view came into focus as my rapid breathing slowed down.

"Where am I?" I panted out, swivelling my head.

"We're at the hot springs inn in Hokkaido. It's Makoto."

"Ho-kkai-do?" I racked my brain, recalling my memories. _Ah, that's right. We came here for a break. We were in the room with Rei, Nagi, Haru, and Mako. Haru and Mako switched rooms, so Mako's with me now._ "Did I fall asleep earlier?"

"Hai. I carried you back here while you were still asleep. Are you okay? You were having a nightmare." Mako leaned in closer to check my temperature, his forehead against mine. After a couple of seconds, he pulled back, satisfied that I didn't have a fever.

"It was so scary," I whispered out, still trembling in fear from the nightmare. "I was dying. Being pushed off a cliff taller than 15m was really scary, you know? I know it was just a dream, but I still taste it – the salt water filling my lungs up." I drily chuckled without humor. "I still believe in the water though." I lifted my hands in front of my face, watching them quiver. Makoto remained silent as I babbled on before enveloping me in his warm embrace. My face was covered by his soft shirt and soothing scent.

"Daijōbu. You're fine now, Mei-chan." He released me, lying down. Mako patted the spot next to him. I laid my head on his arm, hiding my tears in his shirt.

"It's okay. It's okay," he whispered, holding me tight against him. His soothing voice slowly lulled me back to sleep.

"Please, just don't leave me." The words unconsciously slipped from my mouth as darkness overwhelmed me once again.

* * *

**(Makoto's POV)**

It nearly killed my watching Mei break down like that. I couldn't do anything as I watched helplessly as she tossed and turned in her sleep, crying out for help. I kept calling out for her to wake up, but she didn't respond until the twentieth time that I called for her. After the first time I met her, I never saw an intense and scared look in her eyes until today. It really scared the crap out of me. I wanted to find out what was haunting her, but instead, I pulled her close calming her to sleep. I could understand why Haru wanted to be near her. Just her smile could captivate me. Her scent was intoxicating. Mei was important to me. I couldn't figure that feeling out until this morning when I saw her in Haru's arms.

But I won't tell her anything yet. Not yet. I want her dreams to come true first.

* * *

"Aww, I can't believe we're already leaving Hokkaido!" Nagi whined, bouncing up and down in his seat on the train.

"Nagisa-san, please stop." Rei glared at Nagi, unhappy with his bouncing. I softly smiled, still feeling tired. I couldn't wait to get back in the water and swim. After all, we only had a year and seven months until the brutal training for Olympics begin.

* * *

**I know this chapter was really short, but I just wanted to finish their trip at Hokkaido. I wanted to move onto February when the group can compete.**


	16. My Promise

"If any of you wants to be scouted for the Olympics, you have to push yourselves! If none of you practice after I give you work, you won't make it! I'm just wasting my time to train you bunch of sissies!" I angrily shouted. Everyone at Daichi-sensei's pool hung their heads in shame. One brave soul decided to speak up.

"Eto… well you see, after we all saw you at the competition from last time, we all got intimidated by you since you're _the_ Haruno Megumi. Eto… t-that's not w-w-what I m-meant!" He began to stutter when I turned my glare upon him.

"What if I am Haruno Megumi? I trained, eat, and breathed with each and every single one of you. If you aren't motivated enough to do this training, get out of my pool!" I was frustrated. Frustrated at their lack of motivation. Frustrated at how healthy each and every single one of them were. Frustrated because they have talent – all they needed to do was train under me. They didn't know what hell I went through just to stand here in front of them. It was a shame the Olympic scouts were forbidden to scout for eleven-year-olds. Otherwise I would've have competed in the Olympics four years ago, standing up on the podium with the other Olympians. I later found out that they could scout twelve-year-olds and train them.

They all looked at each other before turning to me.

"Mei-chan, we'll train hard! We'll do whatever it takes!"

I stared at them, my cold violet eyes piercing them. "Good. Now give me 100m melodies!" I shouted.

* * *

After the vigorous practice, I stretched myself for my own regimen that night. _I should focus more on myself too. I can't lose sight of my goals._ I sighed, blowing bubbles as I swam frog-legged. As I swam the requirements for the Olympics, I began to hope for scouting to start soon. It was already February, and scouting begins from April through July. After all, there was less than 19 months for the official Olympic Games. I was done with this training – I was ready for the brutal, hardcore ones to prepare myself. So we had two months to prepare. I ducked down below the cool, welcoming water, swimming.

* * *

"Kon'nichiwa, Mei-chan!" Hiroshi greeted me, all smiles. I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion.

"What are you scheming now, Hiro-kun?"

He gasped, disbelievingly. "So mean, Mei-chan! And here I was, about to give you the best news!" _He's being really childish today… Who does he remind me of? That's right – that yellow fluff-ball, Nagi._

"Anyways," he continued, "You just have to come see me every other month. Your heart is doing very well now. Good luck with scouting!" He winked at me before exiting the room with me trailing behind. I spotted Aki right away, sitting in the waiting room. He made a beeline for Hiro-kun and they began to talk, laughing. I groaned – once Aki started talking to Hiro, there was no stopping his motor. I wandered towards the elevator, going up to the botanical garden. I walked around, going through the maze that I had already memorized. I played with the fountain, splashing water. _It's so boring…_ I laid down on the stoned square that surrounded the water fountain, closing my eyes. _Might as well take a nap. Power charge for tonight's swim_.

* * *

"What an idiot," a voice muttered. I was still half-asleep so I ignored it. The ground beneath me was moving, but I didn't care. "If you catch a cold, it's not my fault, Mei-chan. After all, I'm the one who saved you from catching a cold. Baaaaaka." I recognized the voice, but I didn't want to open my eyes to confirm. I think I was holding onto something warm. My face was pressed against softness and I snuggled closer, wrapping my arms around a neck. _A neck?_ I cracked my eyelids open to find burgundy fur in front of me. My brain processed everything slowly, and I realized I was being carried.

"Rin-chan?" Yup. It was Rin.

"Baka." I laughed.

"Do you still want to go to the Olympics, Rin-chan?" I wondered aloud, thinking back to what he told me.

"Of course. Did you hit your head or something?" He snorted at me. In response, I knocked my head into the back of his. "Ow, Mei-chan!"

"Scouting's in two months. I'm excited." He craned his head towards me with a bemused expression.

"You know, most people would say that they're nervous or unprepared. But not you." Rin sighed. "I'm ready, but I still feel unprepared. At least they'll have a women's team for you once you make the cut." I felt him hesitate, uncertain whether he should ask me something. I read his mind.

"Haru and the others are ready. Well, maybe not Rei, but he's trained hard. You'll see them at the first competition at scouting, Rin-chan. Don't worry." His tensed shoulders relaxed a little when he heard that. I smiled, knowing that he couldn't see it.

* * *

On the way home, Aki broke the silence. "Mei, are you sure you want to keep going? Will you be able to get scouted out?" He didn't notice my grin as I faced towards the window, watching as the trees passed by rapidly.

"I'll get scouted, onii-san. Don't worry. I promise you, I will." _I have to make it._

* * *

**Should Mei have a boyfriend? ****Who should be paired with? **Or should she just focus on making it for the Olympics? Leave reviews and tell your friends to check the story out! ;) Arigato!


	17. Victory

"This is the first day of Olympic scouting, ladies and gentlemen! The young adults down there are part of the scouting trials, both for the young men and women. First, they will compete in their respective schools, then will be separated by their races, and then into genders." The announcer's voice was carried through the large stadium that seated over thousands of people. Three hundred competitors mingled around, greeting one another. The Iwatobi boys and I stood in a small group at the tables for registration.

"Iwatobi High School. Haruno Megumi, Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Hazuki Nagisa, and Ryugazaki Rei."

"Alright, thank you for signing in!" The lady smiled only to notice that our group consisted of one girl and four boys. "Eto… ma'am? Do you not have a female team at your school?"

"Nope! I'm with these guys." I flashed a 100-watt smile at her.

"Ah…o-okay, Haruno-san," she stuttered.

"Wahh, Mei-chan! You're such a lady-killer!" Nagisa joked. I sighed, draping an arm around Nagi's shoulder.

"I'm not a lady-killer, since that was just one woman. To be a lady-killer is basically to be irresistible to women," I replied.

"…"

"Oh." I saw Nagisa's face flush and I had to chuckle.

"It's okay, Nagi-chan. I understood what you meant anyways." I ruffled his hair. He beamed a smile up at me. _Step 1: enter the competition. Check. Step 2: blow the scouts' minds away._ I was definitely ready.

* * *

"First up is the 400m melody. In lane one…" The announcer called out the lane numbers and which high schools were in what lane. Iwatobi was in the third lane. It was backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and then freestyle. Nagisa got in the water, in ready position, waiting for the buzzer. It sounded. He pushed himself off the wall with force and was already in second place. Makoto was crouching down, ready to jump in at any second. _**Splash.**_ Makoto was taking first with three seconds ahead of the second place team. Rei dropped down to second place, only a second behind. I knew that Haru was going to fix this.

_**Buzz.**_ "First place goes to Iwatobi High, leading by 0:03:17 seconds. Second place…" The announcer rambled on as I whooped with joy. They smiled – including Haru – heading towards me.

"Good luck, Mei-chan!" Nagisa shouted as the announcement called out for backstroke swimmers, which included me and Makoto.

"Don't stop or slow down. Don't wait for Makoto-sempai either." Rei pushed his glasses up.

"Win, Mei." Haru's voice surprised me as he whispered into my ear. A small smile crept onto my face. I closed my hand into a loose fist and gently tapped his stomach, reaching my arm backwards.

"I won't lose."

* * *

I wiped the competitions that I participated in. It was an incredible feeling of adrenaline, the one that I was missing years ago. It brought joy and vigour into my life. After my four 100m individual races and 200m individual races, melody team race, and individual melodies, I was immediately gobbled up the reporters. I saw Makoto's happy face as he watched me, and Rei's ecstatic expression at being congratulated. Haru's blue eyes met my violet ones and a small smile crept onto his face.

"Haruno-san, you're that same Haruno Megumi from all those years ago, correct? What prompt you to go back swimming? How does it feel to win in all of these races? Will you go on to be an Olympic swimmer?" Millions of questions flooded towards me as I made my way up to the podium after I heard my name announced. A flash of green was visible in the corner of my eyes and I swivelled my head towards the source. It was that familiar cheeky green-haired reporter from a while ago.

He flashed a grin at me before weaving out of the crowd. _Déjà vu…_ I thought before hollering, "Hey! Reporter with the green hair! Hey! HEY!" I watched with satisfaction as he froze and turned around. By that time, I was already by his side, gently moving the other reporters out of my way.

"Where have I seen you before?" I demanded. He smiled, shaking his head as he placed a finger to his lips.

"No, seriously. I know you from somewhere, I don't remember where though. You seem… familiar," I insisted. His sea-green eyes bore into my violet orbs, almost as if he was seeking something in my soul.

"Who was the one who promised to support your Olympic dream years ago? Before the accident? Before you moved?" He whispered. I narrowed my eyes, racking my brain to search for the answer. It suddenly hit me.

"Kyuu-kun?" I asked hesitantly. I reached a hand out to touch his tanned cheek, gently brushing it. "Kyuu-kun! I knew that you would come soon!" I grabbed him into a hug.

"Go talk to the reporters. You know how they are," my childhood friend chuckled low into my ear. I pulled back, grinning at him.

"Hai, hai!"

* * *

"I honestly want to thank all of my supporters out there! Because of your support, I was able to make a comeback into what I love doing: swimming!" I shouted, pumping a fist into the air. I was standing on the podium, giving the reporters the interview that they had waited for so long. "I want to thank my amazing friends from Iwatobi High. They were the ones who not only forced me to join their team, but the ones who have helped me. Daichi-sensei for letting me overtaking his pool. And Kyuu-kun for being the first person to support my Olympian dream!" I stared straight ahead at the camera, deciding to let it all out.

"And to my onii-san Aki, and Hiro-kun: I did it!" I grinned, feeling my smile stretch over my face. I heard the spectators erupt into roars of cheers and support. I had forgotten the feeling of love from everyone – the feeling of support and adrenaline.

I saw Haru, Mako, Nagi, and Rei make their way towards me. I jumped off the stage and ran over to them, enveloping them into a hug.

"You know that this was just the first day of Olympian scouting, right?" Rei asked, standing awkwardly in my embrace of five.

"Hush, Rei. Don't spoil Mei-chan's moment," chided Mako. I laughed, releasing them from my grasp.

"With everyone behind me, I'll definitely make it through the next couple of days. And besides, the scouts said I don't have to participate in the trials since I've already broke the records for trials and for Japan." They gaped at me with their mouths opened. Haru was the first to recover.

"You deserved it, Mei." A small smile appeared on his lips with his eyes twinkling. I covered the already-small distance between the five of us, wrapping an arm around Haruka's and Makoto's waist, surprising them.

"We'll have to focus on winning the Olympics now, ne? We can't lose after coming this far, after all!"

* * *

**Sorry I haven't posted in a while! I have a feeling that this was a bit rushed, but according to all the pms that I've been getting, they wanted me to finish my other fanfics too, haha. I hope that the next chapter will be better, after all, Mei WON! WOOT!**

**AND there aren't that many reviews anymore :'( I'm crying, minna! **


	18. Two Years Later

**~Two Years Later~**

"Megumi Haruno is clearing the way for Japan's women team! Look at her go! Oh, what is this?! Her fourth gold medal in her first year of the Olympics! Follow Megumi as she will be competing in her remaining competitions of the 200m-individual melody and 800m-co-ed melody, as this is a new event!"

Aki and Hiro weren't the only ones who were attached to their television screens. They scooted closer to the screen, watching Mei take over the competitions.

"That's my imōto! Haruno Megumi is my imōto!" Aki crowed loudly – so loud that the neighbors could hear him. Hiroshi sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"You're really a baka, Aki. If Mei could see you know, she'd probably want to run away," he joked.

"Shhh shh shh!" Aki turned the volume up when he saw the camera zooming in on Megumi.

"And how do you think you will do in the final competitions?"

"As long as there will be people out there supporting me, I will do my best to win. Even it is just my brother supporting, I'll win for him," Mei replied, smiling.

"And what about your teammates? Do you have a possible romance with one of them?" The reporter pressed on.

* * *

I looked at her. _What. The. Heck? What kind of question is that?!_ The reporter and others were staring at me expectantly. I looked over at the bench where Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei were. They caught me staring at them, and they waved. I quickly looked away, back at the reporter.

"They understand that I don't have time for a boyfriend right now," I felt my face slowly flushing.

"But…" The reporters leaned in closer, listening to my words. I swallowed nervously.

"But," I continued on, "there is one who is willing to wait for me to accomplish my dream." A small embarrassed smile slowly crept onto my face.

"That time is coming soon. Who is it?" She shoved the microphone into my face and I backed up.

"I'm afraid that she can't tell you." I heard my coach's voice behind me, startling us. I beamed a grateful smile at my coach and scampered away to where my friends were. Mako and Haru noticed me coming towards them and smiled.

"Meeeeei-chaaaaan!" Nagisa's high-pitched voice hollered as he waved his arm around wildly. I walked quickly over to them – not paying attention – only to collide into a person, which successfully knocked the two of us down.

"…"

"I'm so sorry!" I quickly got off the man and reached a hand down to help him up. Burgundy-colored hair flashed under me. "Rin-chan?" I whispered. I was met with red eyes and shark-like teeth.

"Yo, Mei-chan."

I heard the pounding footsteps of my friends, and in a flash, they were by my side.

"Mei! Mei-chan! Are you alright?" They noticed the teen at my feet.

"RIN-CHAN?!" They exclaimed. I smiled, pulling Rin to his feet, nuzzling his soft shirt.

"I missed you, Rin-chan." He grinned, patting my head.

"You're already eighteen, ne? Time sure does fly by, ne?" Rin's rhetorical question caught everyone off-guard. I pulled away, retreating back to my friends.

"What are you doing here?" Haru demanded. Our coach decided to make a grand appearance then.

"Oh, I forgot, this is your new teammate for the last four competitions, boys. Our other member injured his arm just in his last race, so Rin here is a replacement," Coach Aoi introduced. Mako wrapped an arm around my waist causing Rin's red eyes to narrow. Mako pulled me a little closer to him and I responded by leaning my head against his side.

"Mei…?" Rin's voice trailed off into confusion. I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to answer him. Knowing Rin saw me as a little sister just like with Gou, I knew this wasn't going to be pretty. I wiggled out of Makoto's hold and skipped away, laughing.

"I'm going back to the hotel to practice, sensei!"

* * *

I gasped for air, breathing in a lungful as I finished my routine.

"A new record, Mei." I swivelled my head up to find Makoto perched at the edge of the large pool, watching me with interest. I laughed, pushing off the wall and floated around. Makoto lowered himself into the pool, swimming towards me. He gently grabbed me from behind, hugging me towards him as we stood in the middle of the training pool.

"Mako –" I began in a warning, only to be cut off by him.

"I know, Mei. But I just…can't help it." I felt his warm breath on my neck. "I love you." I slightly shivered, still not used to his confessions.

"You only have to wait another two weeks until the Olympics is over. I'll give you my answer then." In my head, I already knew my answer. I loved him. Tachibana Makoto, the one who brought my stony emotions back to life, the one who influenced my mind on getting surgery. Not only was my heart stronger now, it would carry me on forever. I was forever grateful to have Makoto by my side.

I smiled at Mako, gently pulling away. "Race for 200m backstroke?"

"Wahhh?! You're racing without us, Mei-chan?" A familiar voice echoed through the pool room, causing Mako and I to turn around. I grinned, catching sight of our teammates, plus Rin.

"Of course not, Nagi-chan!" I laughed. Rin, Haruka, Rei, and Nagisa jumped into the pool, swimming over to where Mako and I were, floating on our backs. The three of them followed suit, and the six of us held hands as we continued to float, looking like cheesy flower petals.

"Hey, minna, thanks for being by my side. I mean, since we first met up to now, I feel like I owe you guys everything." I didn't know whether they could hear me or not but I continued on. "I just wanted to say that I won't let you guys down. I'll win in my remaining competitions for us all. I know that you'll all win too. I believe in us."

I felt Haru and Mako squeeze my hands, signalling that they heard me. I smiled and closed my eyes, relishing in what we have.

I knew that I was going to win in my remaining competitions. After all, I came here to prove to everyone that nothing can hold me down – not after what I had been through, and definitely not with everyone supporting me. Nothing was going to stop me anymore.

* * *

**A/N: I swear to you guys that I haven't disappeared! I survived my first two months of senior year in high school! So that's like a major accomplishment, considering all the activities that I do out of school... Anyways, this is the end of 'Caught in the Act'! I hope that my lovely followers and reviewers have enjoyed this fanfic! Spread the word of this story if you have enjoyed it, and get more followers to join :) I love you guys, and check out my other fanfics! This was my first one, so any comments or favorites would be appreciated. Arigato! **


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